OAK  ST.  HDSF 


THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


From  the  collection  of 
Julius  Doerner,  Chicago 
Purchased,  1918, 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/worldinstereoscoOOunse 


/ 


THE  WORLD 


IN  THE 

STEREOSCOPE  : 


-A. . SERIES  OP  3I^H3TO]E5:H33, 

Original  and  Selected, 


INCLUDING 

Descriptions  of  Famous  Mountains , Glaciers , Volcanoes,  Valleys , Plains 
and  Deserts,  Rivers,  Water-falls,  Springs  and  Lakes,  with  Cities, 
Palaces,  Castles  and  Forts,  Temples  and  Churches,  Mon- 
uments, Ruins,  Ac.,  dec,,  with  notices  of  Climate, 

Races  and  Architecture. 


WRITTEN  AND  COMPILED  TO  ACCOMPANY  SETS  OF 

Stereoscopic  Jllustrations, 

FOR  THE  USE  OF  SCHOOLS. 

©EOOINTX}  EDITION. 

PUBLISHED  BY 

HART  & ANDERSON 

NEW  YORK, 

187* 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1872,  by  A.  Hart,  Jr.,  in  tho 
office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress. 


CONTENTS. 


£/  Vi 


INTRODUCTION 

Purpose  of  the  Book 

Illustrative  Instruction,  Photographs 

Methods  and  Difficulties 

Practical  Suggestions 

I.—  HISTORY  AND  EXPLANATION  OF  THE 
STEREOSCOPE  AND  PHOTOGRAPH... 

The  Stereoscope 

History  of  the  Stereoscope 

Photography : Its  History,  Methods  and  Appli- 
cations   

Stereoscopic  Photography 

II. — The  Yo  Semite  Yalley — Whitney 

III. — Rome:  The  Lateran  and  the  Vatican 

IY. — Restoration  of  Works  of  Art  to  Italy— Ilemans . . . 

V.— JEtna,  and  the  Eruption  of  1865 — Rectus. 

YI. — Famous  European  Churches 

VII.— The  First  Conquest  of  Mont  Blanc — Figuier 

VIII. — Alpine  Scenery — Byron 

XI. — Chicago  Before  the  Fire — Lakeside  Monthly 

X. — The  Chicago  Conflagration — Lakeside  Monthly  .... 
XI. — The  Story  of  the  Fire — ( Continued) — Lake.  Monthly 

XII. — Chicago — Whittier 

XIII. — Disentombed  Pompeii. . . 

XIY. — Pompeii — Atherstone 

XY. — A Visit  to  Mammoth  Cave — Keeler . ..  . . 

XYI. — Scenes  in  the  Holy  Land 

XVII.— Palestine — Whittier 

XVIII. — Italy:  Florence  and  Pisa 

XIX. — The  Japanese  and  their  Customs 

XX. — Glaciers  and  Ice  Caves — Compiled 

XXL — Hymn  in  the  Vale  of  Chamouni — Coleridge 

XXII. — Athens  and  Ancient  Greece 

'T 

'iK 


PAGE. 

ix 

ix 

X 

xii 

xiii 


17 

17 

19 

21 

24 

26 

29 

32 

35 

40 

45 

49 

62 

54 

57 

59 

61 

03 

65 

71 

74 

75 
78 
80 
87 
89 


iy  TABI  iE  OF  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

XXIII. — Greece  in  1809 — Byron 92 

XXI Y. — The  Mountain  Heights  of  Europe — Reclus 94 

XXY. — He  Sassure’s  Ascent  of  Mount  Blanc — Figuier 99 

XXVI.— The  Alps — Clark 104 

XXVII. — Yale  and  Mount 105 

XXVIII. — The  Giants’  Causeway 107 

XXIX. — The  City  of  Washington — Trollope 109 

XXX. — The  Pyramids  and  Sphinx  112 

XXXI. — Reflections  from  the  Summit  of  a Pyramid 114 

XXXII. — Sinai  and  Nubia 116 

XXXIII. — Heights  of  the  Holy  Land 118 

XXXIY. — 'The  Christian  Tourists — Whittier 121 

XXXV.—1 The  City  of  Venice 123 

XXXVI. — Volcanoes  and  Volcanic  Regions — Compiled 126 

XXXVII. — Destruction  of  Pompeii — Macauley.  . . , \ 132 

XXXVIII. — Ascents  of  Mount  Chimborazo — Humboldt 135 

XXXIX. — Ancient  Rome 141 

XL. — Temples  of  India 144 

XLI.— -Water-falls  in  the  Yo  Semite  Valley — Whitney  ....  146 

XLII. — The  Big  Trees  of  California — Compiled 148 

XLIII. — Scenes  in  the  Far  West. 150 

XLIV. — The  River  Saco — Lyons 152 

XLV. — The  White  Mountains — T.  Starr  King 154 

XLVI. — The  Gray  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain — Hibbard 156 

XLVII. — London  Sights  and  Scenes 157 

XLVIII.— Paris 160 

XLIX. — Paris  After  the  War — Brockett 162 

L. — Paris  and  Chicago  ...  168 

LI. — Edinburgh 169 

LII. — Edinburgh  After  Flodden — Aytown 171 

LIII. — Old  Scottish  Castles. 174 

LIV. — Battle  of  Flodden  Field — Scott 176 

LV. — Constantinople 182 

LVI. — Cairo 184 

LVII. — Egypt  and  The  Nile 186 

LVIII. — Ancient  Religious  Ruins 188 

LIX. — The  Ravages  of  Time 190 

LX. — Picturesque  Scenes  in  the  British  Isles 191 

LXI. — Helvellyn — Scott 195 

LXTI. — Convents,  Monasteries  and  Mosques 196 

LXIII. — Egyptian  Ruins 200 

LXIV. — St.  Peter’s  Church  in  Rome . . 202 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


V 


PAGE. 

LXY. — Home 203 

LXYI. — Caves  and  Gorges  . . 205 

LXYIL— New  York  City. . . . 207 

LXYIII. — Balls  of  Niagara — Ilowison 209  , 

LXIX. — Niagara 215 

LXX. — American  Water-falls 215 

LXXI. — Sk etches  in  Palestine .* . 218 

LXXII. — The  Power  of  Ar t — Sprague 220 

LXXXII. — Temples  in  India 222 

LXXXY. — Famous  Cathedrals  in  Europe 224 

LXXY. — Old  European  Castles 227 

LXXYI. — The  Prisoner  of  Chillon — Byron 230 

LXXYII. — Adventures  on  a Yolcano — Babbage 235 

LXXYIIL — Palaces  in  Prussia 241 

LXXIX. — Palaces  in  Spain 243 

LXXX. — The  Alhambra  by  Moonlight — Irving 245 

LXXXL — Gibraltar 247 

LXXXII. — Battle  of  Beal’  An  Duine — Scott 248 

LXXXIII. — The  Chinese 252 

LXXXIY. — Scenes  in  Japan.  254 

LXXXY. — Sketches  of  Races . 255 

LXXXYI. — Mountain  and  Gorge. 258 

LXXXYXI. — The  Prairies — Bryant.  2G0 

LXXXYIII. — South  American  Landscapes £62 

LXXXIX. — Scenes  in  Mexico 263 

XC. — City  of  Washington 265 

XCI. — The  Dying  Gladiator — Byron 268 

XCII. — Statues  and  Statue  Making — Once  a Month 269 

XCIII. — The  Sculptor  Boy — Hohnes 272 

XCIY. — Monuments  of  Paris 273 

XCY. — Apine  Glaciers 276 

XCYI. — Yalieys  and  Gorges  . . - 278 

XCYXI. — The  Soldier’s  Rest — Scott 281 

XCYIII. — Ruins  in  Ilindostan. . . * 252 

XCIX. — Egyptian  Ruins 284 

C. — Address  to  Egyptian  Mummy — IT.  Smith 286 

CI. — Quito  and  South  American  Scenes 288 

CXI.-— The  Andes — Hine 2S9 

CIII. — Among  the  Mountains 290 

CIY.— The  Mountains  of  Life . 293 

CY. — The  Mountains  of  Scotland. 293 

CYI. — The  YvTdow  of  Glencoe, , 296 


VI 


TABLE  OB  CONTENTS. 


CVIL— Russian  Palaces 

CYIII. — Mammoth  Cave 

CIX.- — The  Mammoth  Cave — 'Prentice,  

CX. — European  Water-fails . 

CXI. — British  Churches 

CXIX. — Lake  and  River 

CXIIL— The  Soldier  of  Bingen — Norton 

CXIV. — Hudson  and  James  Rivers 

CXY. — Boston. 

CXYI. — Old  Ironsides — Holmes. 

CXYII. — North  American  Indians 

CXYIII.— The  Northwest 

CXIX. — The  Indians— Sprague 

CXX. — rSinai  and  Palestine 

CXXI. — Burial  of  Moses — Anon 

CXXIX. — Churches  and  Temples 

CXXIIL— - New  Orleans 

CXXIY.— An  Evening  Reverie — Pry  ant 

CXX Y.— The  Destruction  of  Pompeii — Pliny 

CXXYI. — English  Colleges 

CXXYII. — Christiania  and  Stockholm 

CXXYIIL — Scenes  About  Jerusalem 

CXXIX. — The  Mountains  of  Asia — Adapted 

CXXX. — Avalanches  and  Land-falls- — Adapted 

CXXXI. — Ode  to  the  Moon — Hood 

CXXXXX. — An  Adventure  at  the  Natural  Bridge — Piirritt.  . . . 

CXXNIXI. — Description  of  the  Pyramids — Clarke 

CXXXIY. — The  Parthenon  of  Athens 

CXXXY. — Yiew  of  the  Coliseum 

CXXX  VI.— Bridges 

CXXX VII. — Landscape  Beauty — Selected 

CXXXY  III. — Vegetation  in  the  Tropics 

CXXXXX.—1 The  Moon—  Chambers 

CXL. — The  Yale  of  Avoea — Selected 

CXLI. — Approaching  the  Alps — Felton 

CXLII. — English  Scenery 

CXLI II. — A Crain  Elevator — Trollope 

CXLI  Y. — Sketches  of  Caverns — Adapted 

CXLY. — The  Great  Deserts — Reclus 

CXL VI. — Hot  Springs  and  Geysers 

CXL VII. — Valleys,  Passes  and  Ravines — Adapted 

CXLYHI. — Lakes  and  Ponds — lledus 


PAGE. 

208 

300 

302 

804 

806 

800 

811 

313 

315 

816 

317 

319 

321 

323 

325 

328 

330 

331 
333 
335 
838 
841 
345 
349 
356 
358 
362 

366 

367 

368 
371 

374 

375 


888 

889 

392 

896 

400 

403 

406 


Noth.— A largo  number  of  authors  have  been  consulted  and  used  in  the  pre- 
paration of  many  of  these  sketches,  whom  it  is  impossible  to  name  in  the  table  of 
contents.  The  aim  has  been  to  bring  together  illustrative  matter  upon  the  stereo- 
scopic views,  not  to  form  complete  or  original  articles.  Most  of  the  sketches  are 
purposely  made  brief  to  afford  time  to  examine  the  views  in  recitation.  Some 
subjects  are  taken  up  again  in  different  parts  of  the  book  to  afford  reviews  of  the 
illustrations  from  different  points  of  view. 


INTRODUCTION 


This  book,  with  the  illustrative  apparatus  accompanying  it,  aims  to 
secure  a new  educational  advantage  by  introducing  into  the  school-room 
the  systematic  use  of  one  of  our  most  important  and  popular  inventions. 
It  is  not  intended  to  displace  other  school  studies,  but  to  increase  their 
interest  and  usefulness.  The  book  contains  a large  number  cf  geo- 
graphical descriptions  which  increase  the  interest  in  that  study,  especially 
as  they  are  accompanied  with  picturesque  and  accurate  views  of  the 
places  described.  The  volume  includes  sketches  of  some  of  the  most 
famous  scenes  of  history,  explaining  photographs  which,  of  themselves, 
would  be  attractive ; thus  it  can  readily  be  used  to  creede  more  vivid 
ideas  of  historical  places  and  events;  yet  it  is  not  a mere  dry  chronicle  of 
names  and  dates.  Though  it  is  not  a mere  school  reader,  perhaps  its 
most  profitable  use  will  be  found  in  the  reading  classes.  Competent 
teachers  will  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  teaching  pupils  to  read  naturally 
and  correctly  those  selections  which  are  read  merely  for  the  sake  of 
readme).  It  is  a great  gain  to  have  the  scholar  interested  in  what  he 
reads.  The  heavy,  lifeless  pronunciation  of  each  word  separately,  without 
natural  inflection,  emphasis  or  connection,  can  be  met  best  by  arousing  a 
new  interest  in  the  passage,  thus  making  it  something  more  than  a mere 
collection  of  sentences  to  be  pronounced  correctly.  This  interest  can  not 
be  more  easily  and  fully  awakened  than  by  putting  before  the  eye  the 
very  scenes,  the  actual  places  described  in  the  reading  lesson.  Successful 
teachers  attempt  to  do  this  by  verbal  descriptions,  by  question  and 
answer  and  remark.  But  it  can  be  done  much  better  by  letting  the 
scholar  examine  the  actual  appearance  of  every  place  described  in  his 
lesson.  This  is  what  these  selections,  with  their  accompanying  stereo- 
scopic views,  afford  the  teacher  an  opportunity  of  doing.  If  our  system 
had  no  other  excellencies,  it  would  amply  reward  attention  in  this  single 
1* 


X 


INTRODUCTION. 


department  of  instruction  in  reading,  which  involves  perhaps  more  re^i 
difficulty  than  any  other  in  the  school-room.  There  is  hardly  any  one 
branch  that  parents  and  teachers  value  more  highly  than  that  by  which 
their  children  and  pupils  may  be  made  natural,  correct,  easy  and  interest- 
ing readers.  And  no  one  thing  is  a greater  aid  in  the  labor  of  making 
them  such  than  a series  of  fresh  and  lively  reading  lessons,  which  have 
the  added  advantage  of  being  accompanied  with  illustrations  mirrored 
from  the  very  scenes  they  describe,  by  the  unerring  pencil  of  the  sun- 
light itself. 

But  this  system  of  bringing  into  our  schools  well-selected  stereoscopic 
views,  with  a volume  explaining  them,  has  other  advantages.  It  wonder- 
fully enlarges  the  scope  of  the  pupils’  knowledge  of  the  world  we  live  in. 
The  stereoscopic  views  seemingly  bring  the  scholars  into  the  very  presence 
of  the  objects  represented,  as  no  ordinary  flat  and  imperfect  pictures  can. 
A picture  must  be  imperfect ; it  cannot  give  accurately  and  minutely  the 
wonderful  variety  of  nature.  Two  equally  good  artists,  working  from  the 
same  point  of  view,  will  bring  in  two  unlike  pictures  of  the  same  scene. 
But  the  photograph  mirrors  every  object,  every  line  and  shade  and  shape, 
with  perfect  accuracy,  and  the  stereoscope  gives  the  scene  its  natural 
depth  and  perspective.  Now  all  teachers  of  ability  well  understand  the 
difficulty  of  describing  outward  objects  of  distant  places  so  that  the 
young  mind  can  get  any  really  correct  ideas  from  their  words.  They 
paturally  introduce  outward  objects  to  make  their  explanations  clear. 
A pupil  may  be  told  that  the  earth  is  round  and  believe  it ; but  he  will 
understand  it  far  better  by  being  shown  a geographical  globe.  A class 
may  be  instructed  in  the  relative  size  of  the  planets  and  their  motions 
about  the  sun ; and  they  may  learn  and  recite  correctly  the  statements  of 
the  book.  But  no  competent  instructor  needs  to  be  informed  of  the 
pleased  surprise,  increased  interest,  and  far  more  correct  conceptions 
they  will  derive  from  the  sight  of  an  orrery  in  operation.  It  would  be 
possible  to  communicate  a certain  amount  of  knowledge  of  botany  by  the 
use  of  the  text-book  alone ; but  that  knowledge  is  greatly  increased,  and 
cleared,  and  fixed  in  memory  by  the  actual  sight  and  examination  of  real 
plants  and  flowers.  Such  facts  as  these  are  recognized  and  acted  upon  by 
the  most  efficient  teachers.  The  words  of  the  text-book,  with  verbal 


XNTXiODUOTXOH. 


£1 


explanations,  are  not  relied  upon  as  the  sole  means  of  communicating 
knowledge  and  arousing  interest.  Object-teaching  in  its  different  forms 
is  a feature  of  instruction  in  the  best  schools.  When  the  objects  them- 
selves cannot  be  presented,  pictures  of  them  are  frequently  used.  These 
pictures,  though  often  inadequate  and  imperfect,  are  found  to  do  valuable 
service.  And  they  are  constantly  being  increased  in  geographies,  his- 
tories, readers,  dictionaries,  books  of  reference,  and  all  the  text-hooks 
where  it  is  possible  to  introduce  them.  But  the  photograph  is  superior 
to  any  other  picture,  and  the  stereoscope  adds  wonderfully  to  the  value  of 
the  photograph.  Already  a few  of  our  leading  teachers,  alive  to  the  im- 
mense advantage  of  accurate  representations  of  the  objects  they  wish  to 
describe,  have  brought  into  the  school-room  their  private  photographic 
collections ; and,  in  one  or  two  instances,  photography  has  been  sum- 
moned to  make  its  contribution  to  the  school  apparatus.  This  enterprise 
and  foresight  have  been  amply  rewarded  by  the  increased  interest  and 
more  rapid  advancement  of  the  pupils  who  have  had  these  aids.  Now 
what  these  few  leading  teachers  have  done  partially  and  privately,  with 
the  chance  photographs  they  could  happen  upon  in  their  own  neighbor- 
hood, we  desire  to  do  systematically  and  thoroughly. 

We  believe  that,  under  a good  teacher,  a great  deal  of  profitable 
knowledge  can  be  gained  from  the  full  and  carefully  collected  sets  oi 
stereoscopic  illustrations  which  are  accompanied  by  this  manual.  The 
teacher’s  ordinary  labors  are  not  increased  by  the  task  of  searching 
out  explanations  and  descriptions  from  various  sources,  a work  which 
would  often  have  to  be  performed  during  scanty  intervals  of  time  and 
with  insufficient  libraries  at  hand.  These  are  ail  furnished  in  this  single 
volume,  which  represents  long,  careful,  and  laborious  effort  to  bring  to- 
gether the  best  materials  in  the  best  form  for  the  purpose. 

Our  plan  has  been  to  make  such  a selection  of  views,  and  furnish  such 
descriptions  of  them  as  can  be  used  in  connection  with  other  school 
studies  as  well  as  independently.  We  have  imposed  upon  ourselves  the 
primary  duty  of  avoiding  the  usual  track  of  information  in  school  geo- 
graphies, histories,  readers,  and  hooks  of  reference.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  have  desired  so  to  connect  these  illustrations  and  explanations 


INTRODUCTION* 


xii 

with  other  studies  as  to  supplement  them  and  increase  their  interest  and 

usefulness. 

The  accumulation  of  objects  which  lie  within  such  a plan  as  this  is 
immense,  and  the  task  of  selecting  has  been  proportionately  difficult.  A 
vast  multitude  of  interesting  objects  must  be  left  unmentioned.  It  would 
be  comparatively  easy  to  add  an  explanatory  catalogue  to  the  illustra- 
tions, or  to  gather  into  a volume  a large  number  of  geographical  and 
historical  facts  connected  in  a mere  general  way  with  these  particular 
views.  But  it  was  thought  essential  that  such  a manual  should  actually 
describe  scenes  and  places  shown  in  the  views.  A book  consisting  of  a 
mere  aggregation  of  names  and  facts  geographically  arranged  would, 
in  fact,  not  explain  any  illustrations  at  all.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
mere  catalogue  of  the  views,  numbered  and  described  in  detail,  could 
not  be  used  practically  in  the  school-room.  The  present  series  of  sketches, 
independent  of  one  another,  written  or  selected  to  explain  the  views, 
embracing  a large  amount  of  geographical  and  historical  information, 
yet  possessed  of  independent  interest,  and  arranged  for  use  as  a separate 
study,  or  in  the  reading  classes,  seemed  to  meet  all  the  requirements 
of  the  case.  To  give  variety  to  the  descriptions,  and  especially  to  the 
exercises,  when  the  volume  is  used  in  the  reading  classes,  a large  num- 
ber of  poetical  selections,  descriptive  generally  of  the  same  scenes,  have 
been  introduced  in  the  appropriate  connections. 

For  some  time  the  idea  was  entertained  of  attempting  to  illustrate  a 
single  country  or  group  of  countries  with  some  degree  of  thoroughness  ; 
but  its  realization  was  found  to  be  impracticable,  and  it  was  reluctantly 
abandoned.  Plans  were  also  formed  of  making  a general  geographical 
distribution  of  the  illustrations,  and  also  of  forming  the  selection  accord- 
ing to  a scientific  method  of  classifying  into  objects  of  nature  and  art 
with  appropriate  subdivisions.  Hundreds  of  pages  were  written  and 
printed  on  these  methods,  but,  at  last,  they  had  to  he  given  up  on  account 
of  practical  obstacles  to  common  school  use  which  need  not  be  detailed 
here.  At  length,  after  extended  consultation  with  leading  teachers,  and 
a thorough  examination  of  the  whole  matter,  the  present  system  has 
been  adopted. 

Great  care  lias  been  taken  to  make  this  compilation  accurate,  full,  and 


INTRODUCTION. 


xii 


trustworthy.  The  accompanying  sets  of  stereoscopic  views,  which  are 
all  prepared  and  published  expressly  for  this  work,  have  been  deliber- 
ately selected  from  over  ten  thousand  subjects.  They  are  gathered  at 
large  expense  from  all  parts  of  the  world-— from  South  America,  Africa, 
and  Asia,  as  well  as  in  Europe  and  the  United  States.  Persons  who. have 
had  no  experience  in  making  such  a collection  have  little  idea  of  the 
difficulty  of  securing  good  stereoscopic  views  in  such  countries  as  India, 
Japan,  Egypt,  and  Mexico.  These  views  are  prepared  in  the  highest 
style  of  photographic  art ; and  the  stereoscopes  are  manufactured  ac- 
curately and  scientifically.  No  intelligent  teacher  needs  to  be  informed 
that  a large  majority  of  the  views  on  sale  are  “ stereoscopic ” only  in 
name,  and  yield  only  confused  and  imperfect  results  in  place  of  the  clear 
and  solid  pictures,  in  true  perspective,  which  ought  to  be  attained. 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS. 

1.  These  illustrations,  with  a proper  use  by  the  teacher  of  the  accom- 
panying manual,  can  be  made  quite  as  interesting  and  profitable  for  the 
youngest  scholars  as  for  those-  who  are  older.  One  of  the  earliest  points 
to  which  a good  teacher  directs  his  efforts  is  that  of  training  his  pupils 
to  observe.  The  eye  is  but  the  instrument  of  the  mind  ; and  it  is  sur- 
prising to  notice  how  soon  and  how  thoroughly  the  mind  can  be  brought 
into  the  habit  of  careful  and  close  observation. 

Show  one  of  these  stereoscopic  illustrations.  Tell  the  pupils  to  find 
cut  and  remember  everything  they  can  in  the  illustration.  They  may  be 
formed  into  a “ stereoscopic  class,”  or  not,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
teacher.  Y/hen  the  class  is  called,  let  each  one  tell  all  he  can  about  the 
picture.  One  will  observe  and  remember  five  points,  another  eight,  an- 
other more.  It  will  often  be  found  that  each  one  has  seen  something 
which  no  one  of  the  others  had  noticed.  Usually  the  teacher  can  add 
several  particulars  to  all  the  points  mentioned  by  the  class.  Sometimes 
several  things  can  be  brought  out  by  questioning.  The  first  lesson  with 
young  pupils  should  not  be  carried  too  far.  But  little  time  need  be  taken 
by  the  recitation.  Then  another  illustration  can  be  given  out;  and  the 
next  day  more  points  will  be  brought  out.  Questions  for  information 


INTRODUCTION, 


xiv 

-will  be  asked  by  the  pupils,  affording  opportunity  for  other  explanations. 
The  faculties  of  observation  and  memory  are  trained,  and  great  interest 
excited,  even  among  scholars  too  young  to  read.  The  illustrations 
should  be  shown  one  by  one ; and  the  pupils  should  not  be  permitted  to 
turn  the  views  over  carelessly,  at  will,  until  they  have  become  familiar 
with  them  all.  After  a few  days,  comparison  can  easily  be  made  of 
features  in  the  different  pictures  already  examined,  and  their  resem- 
blances and  differences  noted.  Of  course,  with  the  youngest  pupils,  the 
book  will  be  used  by  the  teacher  only,  and  explanations  will  be  made 
orally,  not  by  reference  to  the  explanatory  sections  of  the  manual.  Wo 
desire  to  emphasize  the  use  of  stereoscopic  illustrations  for  the  youngest 
scholars,  because  it  is  often  found  the  best  preparation  for  inciting  in- 
terest in  some  of  their  other  studies,  as  they  advance  to  them.  The 
boy  who  has  already  studied  a scene  in  the  streets  of  Paris  till  the  name 
is  fixed  in  his  mind,  will  he  much  more  likely  to  remember  and  be  in- 
terested in  all  geographical  or  historical  information  about  the  city,  than 
another  to  whom  the  name  “Paris”  is  but  an  empty  word  on  the  pages 
of  the  school  text-book. 

2.  With  older  classes,  the  manual  can  be  used  by  the  pupil  personally. 
The  earlier  lessons  ought  to  include  full  explanations  of  the  stereoscope 
and  the  photograph. 

Afterward,  the  teacher  can  take  up  those  exercises  in  the  book  which 
seem  best  suited  to  the  pupils.  It  is  not  at  all  necessary  that  the  order  of 
sections  should  be  followed  in  course.  If  the  classes  are  also  pursuing 
geography,  those  illustrations  which  represent  scenes  in  the  countries 
they  are  studying  about,  may  be  used  in  the  order  in  which  they  come 
up  for  geographical  description.  The  same  plan  can  be  pursued  with 
scholars  in  history.  . A full  alphabetical  index  is  added  to  the  book,  so 
that  all  its  descriptions  of  scenes  in  any  single  country  or  city  can 
readily  be  found. 

3.  A great  many  of  the  illustrations  can  be  studied  by  classes.  For 
example,  the  teacher  may  take  up  a series  of  lessons  on  “Mountains,” 
embracing  every  mountain  view  in  the  collection.  Then  another  series 
can  be  taken  on  “Water-Falls,”  another  on  “ Churches  and  Temples,”  an- 
other on  “ Ruins,”  another  on  “ Great  Cities,”  <&c.  In  this  way,  it  is  sur- 


INTRODUCTION. 


sv 


prising  how  much  interest  will  be  awakened  and  how  rapidly  information 
is  gained  concerning  different  classes  of  objects. 

4.  The  book  can  be  used  to  give  an  agreeablo  variety  in  training  the 
reading  classes,  with  the  advantages  mentioned  above.  Many  of  the  sec- 
tions will  be  found  peculiarly  well  adapted  for  use  as  reading  exercises. 
It  will  also  often  happen  that  the  ordinary  school  readers  present  selec- 
tions which  these  stereoscopic  views  vividly  illustrate. 

5.  In  some  schools  this  apparatus  will  be  found  to  furnish  a pleasing 
means  of  rewarding  industry  among  those  pupils  not  directly  concerned 
in  its  use.  Where  this  is  advisable,  care  should  be  taken  not  to  give  ac- 
cess to  the  illustrations  too  frequently  or  freely  ; and  a full  opportunity 
should  be  afforded  for  learning  about  the  views  from  the  manual  and 
other  sources  of  information.  A general  and  miscellaneous  use  by  the 
school  of  the  illustrations  should  never  be  permitted.  The  stereoscope 
should  always  be  kept  in  the  possession  of  the  teacher,  and  used  with 
care  and  caution. 

The  plan  of  forming  the  four  hundred  illustrations  into  four  separate 
series,  exchangeable  among  neighboring  schools,  offers  great  advantages  in 
each  of  these  methods  of  using  the  book,  and  especially  in  review  courses 
of  study  and  reading.  It  increases  the  general  profit  and  usefulness  of 
the  system  four-fold  without  additional  cost. 


L — HISTORY  AND  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  STERE- 
OSCOPE AND  THE  PHOTOGRAPH. 


THE  STEREOSCOPE. ITS  PRINCIPLES. ITS  INVENTION  AND  HISTORY. 

WHEATSTONE,  ELLIOT,  AND  BREWSTER. THE  DIFFICULTY. PHOTOGRAPHY. 

TALBOT  AND  DAGUERRE. METHODS. APPLICATIONS  IN  SCIENCE,  ART, 

£ND  EDUCATION. 


Before  entering  upon  the  general  descriptions  of  the 
world  of  nature  and  of  man,  which  this  volume  is  intended 
to  outline,  it  may  be  useful  to  give  a sketch  of  the  inven- 
tions and  discoveries  by  which  so  many  distant  objects  of 
art  and  nature  can  be  so  accurately  mirrored  for  the  uses 
of  the  school-room.  Successful  educators  have  always  been 
prompt  to  seize  on  every  new  invention,  and  press  it  into 
the  service  of  instruction.  The  art  of  printing  gave  a 
valuable  impulse  to  popular  teaching,  and  removed  many 
of  its  greatest  difficulties.  Maps  and  engravings  found 
their  place  and  use  in  the  work.  Globes,  geometrical 
solids,  orreries,  &c.,  have  all  been  brought  into  service. 
Lately,  some  of  our  most  successful  instructors  have  taken 
advantage  of  the  wide  scope  of  instruction  and  illustration 
which  is  opened  by 

THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

Within  a single  generation,  this  interesting  instrument 
has  gained  a world-wide  reputation,  not  only  in  the  fields 
of  popular  recreation  and  instruction,  but  also  in  the  realms 
of  science  and  art.  The  name  “ stereoscope  ” (derived 
from  two  Greek  words,  “ stereos  ” solid,  and  “ scopein ” to 
see)  shows  the  most  remarkable  feature  of  the  instrument, 


18 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STETHOSCOPE. 


that  of  combining  into  a single  image  two  plane  pictures, 
seen  separately  by  each  eye,  and  giving  to  the  image  the 
apparent  depth  and  solidity  of  nature  itself. 

The  principles  on  wdiich  it  acts  have  long  been  known. 
One  of  them  was  mentioned  by  Euclid  two  thousand  years 
ago,  and  the  other  was  described  in  a work  published  at 
Naples  in  1593.  We  condense  from  various  sources  the 
following  explanation  of  the  principles  and  history  of  the 
stereoscope,  together  with  a brief  outline  of  the  art  by 
which  it  has  been  made  available  for  general  use.  The 
chief  principle  on  which,  this  instrument  depends  is,  that 
a solid  object  shows  a slightly  different  image  to  each  of 
the  two  eyes,  and  its  appearance  of  solidity  is  due  to  the 
combination  of  these  two  images.  If  a school  slate  or  a 
thin  book  be  held  upright  before  the  eyes,  with  the  back  or 
edge  toward  the  face,  and  looked  at  with  the  right  eye 
only,  the  back  and  much  of  the  right  side  are  seen,  and  the 
eyesight  is  directed  not  straight  forward,  but  inward  in  a 
line  from  the  book  to  the  right  eye.  If  now  the  right  eye 
be  closed,  and  the  object  looked  at  by  the  left  eye  only,  the 
edge  and  loft  side  are  seen,  and  the  whole  object  seems  to 
lie  slightly  toward  the  closed  eye.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
the  object  offers  a slightly  different  shape  to  each  eye. 

The  second  principle  is,  that  these  slightly  unlike  flat 
pictures  of  the  same  object,  when  united  in  the  act  of  seeing 
with  the  two  eyes,  become  one  image,  which  has  the  appear- 
ance of  the  solid  object  itself.  Therefore,  any  two  such 
pictures,  seen  by  each  eye  at  the  same  instant,  and  united 
by  any  method,  will  appear  in  relief  as  a single  solid  object, 
the  seeming  situation  of  which  is  between  Ihe  two  images 
seen  separately  by  each  eye.  If  the  back  of  the  upright 
book  mentioned  above  be  carefully  looked  at  with  both 
eyes,  its  apparent  place  is  between  the  two  former  images 
seen  by  the  eyes  separately.  Only  the  right  or  the  left 
side  was  then  seen ; now  both  sides  are  beheld,  and  the 
whole  object  stands  out  before  the  vision  in  distinct  relief. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


19 


This  relief  and  apparent  solidity  are  produced  by  the  use 
of  both  eyes,  forming  a single  image  which  combines  the 
two  images  seen  by  each  eye  separately.  This  is  true  of  all 
solid  objects,  near  or  distant.  The  right  eye  sees  more  of 
the  right  side  of  every  solid  object  than  the  left  eye  does ; 
and  the  left  eye  sees  more  of  the  left  side  of  the  same  object 
than  the  right  eye.  In  common  vision,  these  right  and  left 
eye  pictures  are  united  into  one. 

Now,  when  the  object  seen  is  a flat  surface,  the  parts  of 
which  are  nearly  at  the  same  distance,  the  two  eyes  see  it 
so  nearly  alike  that  there  is  no  such  combination  of  their 
images  as  when  solids  or  objects  at  different  distances  are 
looked  upon.  Hence  the  flat  object,  like  a painting  or 
engraving,  is  seen  as  a plane  surface.  Any  notion  of  depth 
in  such  a picture  is  by  a mere  act  of  imagination.  The 
depth  or  relief  is  not  seen  at  all ; and  the  imagination  acts 
more  or  less  feebly  in  different  persons,  in  some  hardly  at 
all.  Such  persons  behold  in  an  engraving  or  painting  a 
mere  flat  surface,  shaded  or  colored,  but  without  the  depth 
of  apparent'  solidity.  To  others,  the  notion  of  depth  and 
solidity,  the  apparent  varying  distance  of  the  different  ob- 
jects in  the  picture,  is  much  more  vivid.  Now,  the  stereo- 
scope is  th’at  invention  by  which  separate  flat  pictures  of 
the  same  object  can  be  seen  with  the  same  appearance  of 
solidity  which  the  object  itself  has.  Shape,  distance,  and 
perspective  no  longer  have  to  be  imagined  or  guessed  at ; 
they  are  seen . It  is  an  ingenious  application  of  the  method 
of  nature  itself  in  manifesting  the  forms  and  distances  of 
visible  objects. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

In  1838,  Professor  Wheatstone,  of  England,  first  showed 
to  the  Eoyal  Society  of  London  his  “ reflecting  stereoscope.” 
By  combining  mirrors,  he  contrived  that  two  drawings  on 
separate  slips  should  he  so  reflected  to  the  eyes  that  the, 
images  seemed  to  come  from  a single  object  placed  between 


£0 


THE  WOULD  IN  TKE  STEREOSCOPE. 


the  mirrors.  Thus  the  two  views,  carefully  drawn,  one  as 
seen  by  the  right  eye,  and  the  other  as  seen  by  the  left  eye, 
would  seem  a solid  form  in  space.  The  figures  which  Mr. 
Wheatstone  drew  for  his  instrument  were  pairs  of  cubes, 
pyramids,  and  cones.  But  he  could  not  secure  pictures  of 
natural  objects  as  seen  by  each  eye,  exact  enough  to  blend 
in  the  common  image.  The  instrument  was  known  only 
to  his  personal  and  scientific  friends,  and  excited  no  public 
interest,  giving  no  promise  of  general  usefulness.  In  1839, 
Prof.  Elliot,  of  Liverpool,  who  had  for  several  years  been 
studying  into  the  uses  and  relations  of  the  two  eyes  in 
seeing,  made  a simple  stereoscope,  without  mirrors  or  lenses, 
which  consisted  of  a wooden  box  six  inches  long,  at  the 
end  of  which  were  placed  two  sketches  of  a leaning  cross, 
with  the  moon  and  the  stem  of  a small  tree  nearly  in  line. 
These  pictures  were  united,  and  appeared  in  relief  by  di- 
recting the  eyes  to  a central  point  beyond  the  pictures. 
Here  was  the  stereoscope  in  its  main  features.  But  Prof. 
Elliot  also  found  it  impossible  to  obtain  right  and  left  eye 
pictures  of  landscapes,  buildings,  or  figures  which  were 
drawn  with  sufficient  truth  to  be  accurately  combined. 
This  prevented  his  proceeding  further  with  his  invention, 
and  hindered  its  use,  except  to  illustrate  some  principles  of 
optics  among  scientific  men. 

In  1859,  Sir  David  Brewster  noticed  the  imperfections 
of  Wheatstone’s  instrument,  and  contrived  the  more  con- 
venient form  now  in  general  use,  which  is  called  the 
“ lenticular  stereoscope.”  In  this,  two  convex  lenses,  or, 
commonly,  two  parts  of  a single  iense,  are  employed.  The 
thin  edges  of  the  lense  are  set  together,  the  centers  of  the 
glasses  used  being  about  two  and  a half  inches  apart.  A 
thin  partition  stands  out  from  the  inner  edges  of  the  semi- 
lenses, so  that  each  eye  shall  see  only  the  picture  directly 
before  it.  Mirrors  are  not  needed.  If  the  double  views  are 
opaque,  they  are  seen  by  ordinary  reflected  light;  if  they 
are  on  glass,  the  light  is  transmitted  through  them. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE.  21 

But  the  difficulty  of  securing  pairs  of  accurate  pictures  still 
remained.  No  artist  could  make  views  sufficiently  true  to 
nature  and  minute  in  execution,  yet  possessing  these  deli- 
cate but  exact  differences  which  are  found  in  the  vision  of 
the  two  eyes.  And  slight  errors  in  the  pictures  were  found 
to  be  exaggerated  by  the  stereoscope,  and  spoiled  the  result. 
As  long  as  the  views  were  confined  to  single  and  simple 
objects,  by  great  care  a stereoscopic  effect  could  be  produced, 
though  often  imperfectly.  But  no  extensive  landscape, 
large  buildings,  groups  of  persons  or  animals,  could  be 
drawn  to  secure  a perfect  effect,  even  at  the  cost  of  great 
pains  and  expense.  The  stereoscope  seemed  destined  to  be 
only  a curious  toy,  or  a costly  optical  instrument  for  the 
scientific.  But,  as  in  the  case  of  the  printing  press,  and 
the  manufacture  of  linen  paper,  an  ally  was  found,  in  com- 
bination with  which  the  instrument  was  to  become  famous 
in  name,  and  invaluable  in  use. 

photography:  its  history,  methods  and  applications. 

In  1839,  the  very  year  in  which  Professor  Elliot  made 
his  simple  stereoscope,  the  French  government  granted  to  M. 
Daguerre  an  annual  pension  of  6,000  francs  on  account  of 
an  ingenious  invention  by  which  he  could  make  exact  pic- 
tures of  natural  objects  without  the  aid  of  artist’s  pencil  or 
brush,  by  means  of  the  sunlight  itself.  On  January  30, 
1839,  six  months  before  Daguerre  published  his  process, 
Mr.  H.  E.  Talbot,  of  England,  explained  a similar  discovery 
of  his  own  to  the  Boyal  Society,  and,  a little  later,  published 
the  process  of  making  paper  so  sensitive  to  the  light,  by 
the  use  of  nitrate  of  silver,  that  it  would  receive  images 
of  visible  objects ; and  afterward  fixing  the  images  by  ap- 
plying common  salt.  Mr.  Talbot  followed  this  with  similar 
discoveries,  which  were  added  to  by  many  others.  For  some 
time,  only  artificial  views  and  interiors  could  be  pictured  • 
but  Dr.  Draper,  of  New  York,  made  a very  valuable  improve- 
ment by  which  portraits  from  life  could  be  taken.  In  1850, 


22 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Mr.  E.  Scott  Archer,  of  England,  introduced  the  collodion 
process,  the  easy  and  practical  method  now  in  universal  use, 
which  we  will  briefly  describe. 

A clean  glass  plate  is  coated  with  a chemical  solution. 
A delicate  film  adheres  to  the  glass.  The  plate  is  then  im- 
mersed in  another  solution,  enclosed  in  a frame  to  protect 
it  from  the  light,  and  placed  in  the  camera,  the  lenses  of 
which  have  been  previously  adjusted  to  the  object  to  be 
taken.  An  invisible  image,  is  formed  on  the  glass  by  ex- 
posure to  the  light.  This  image  is  developed  and  fixed  by 
flowing  the  plate  with  different  chemical  solutions;  and, 
after  receiving  a coat  of  some  proper  varnish  which  will  not 
soften  in  the  sunlight,  the  negative,  as  it  is  called,  is  ready 
for  printing.  This  is  accomplished  by  placing  prepared 
paper  beneath  the  plate,  and  exposing  it  for  a certain  time 
in  the  sunlight.  The  rays  of  light,  passing  through  those 
parts  of  the  glass  which  are  transparent,  blacken  the  sensitive 
paper.  Those  rays  which  strike  the  dark  portions  of  the 
glass  are  absorbed,  leaving  the  paper  beneath  white;  and 
this  process  is  carried  all  through  the  delicate  intermediate 
shades.  An  absolutely  perfect  transcript  of  the  picture  on 
the  glass  is  thus  secured,  except  that  the  lights  and  shades 
are  transposed.  The  paper  is  then  taken  from  under  the 
negative,  and  subjected  to  several  other  processes  before  the 
picture  can  be  retouched  and  mounted. 

We  cannot  fully  recount  the  numberless  applications  of 
this  beautiful  art  of  photography.  Its  usefulness  in  art  and 
science  can  hardly  be  overrated.  The  engineer,  the  archi- 
tect, the  inventor,  and  the  artist,  employ  it  largely.  The 
astronomer  with  its  aid  delineates  the  forms  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  by  their  own  light.  All  forms  of  human  and  animal 
life,  or  of  inanimate  existence,  can  be  accurately  and  per- 
manently pictured.  The  geologist  has  secured  exact  repre- 
sentations of  formations  which  defied  the  best  efforts  of  his 
pencil ; and  the  botanist  has  made  imperishable  record  of 
the  delicate  and  beautiful  vegetable  forms,  which  rise  only 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


23 


to  fade  and  die.  Changes  of  weather,  variations  of  the 
earth’s  magnetism,  are  made  to  record  themselves.  We 
hardly  need  mention  the  immense  advantage  gained  to  the 
social  affections  by  this  art,  in  the  easy  multiplication  of 
accurate  portraits  of  families  and  friends.  The  poorest 
home  can  now  be  made  happy  by  the  possession  of  pictures 
superior  in  fidelity  to  those  which  were  once  the  exclusive 
property  of  great  wealth.  In  place  of  the  old,  costly,  im- 
perfect, slow  processes,  of  portraying  face  and  form  by  the 
use  of  pencil  and  brush,  often  in  unskillful  hands,  always 
with  a certain  degree  of  change  by  the  artist’s  idealizing 
appearances  which  he  wished  to  imitate,  we  have  the  exact 
reflection  of  the  sitter’s  form  and  features,  as  in  a mirror,  a 
portrait  which  is  absolute  truth,  and  which  can  be  copied 
repeatedly  with  perfect  fidelity — and  all  this  at  the  trifling 
expense  of  time  and  money  which  places  it  within  universal 
reach.  More  than  this,  by  means  of  the  instantaneous 
process,  perfect  pictures  can  be  taken  of  momentary  actions, 
attitudes  and  expressions  of  a busy  crowd  in  a city  street, 
the  mobile  face  of  a restless  child,  or  the  changeful  play  of 
nature. 

This  art  also  multiplies  true  pictures  of  the  world’s 
famous  historic  places,  its  celebrated  structures,  its  sublimest 
and  loveliest  natural  scenery,  its  varieties  of  race  and  cos- 
tume, thus  preserving  and  popularizing  some  of  the  finest 
results  of  travel,  without  its  fatigue  and  expense.  Ail 
things  of  interest,  which  the  eye  can  look  upon,  mountains, 
lakes,  cities,  ruins,  deserts,  temples,  palaces,  statues,  noted 
books,  famous  faces,  great  inventions,  antique  inscriptions, 
even  the  gloomy  grandeur  of  caverns  far  under  ground,  are 
brought  accurately  before  us  in  home  or  school  by  this  won- 
derful art  of  photography.  Its  power  is  already  recognized 
in  the  popular  diffusion  of  knowledge,  once  limited  to  very 
few  minds.  Its  usefulness  for  purposes  of  education  has 
begun  to  attract  general  attention ; and  its  future  expansion 
is  likely  to  be  as  great  as  its  rapid  development  and  progress 
hitherto. 


24 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


STEREOSCOPIC  PHOTOGRAPHY. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  art  of  photography  supplied  for 
the  stereoscope  the  one  thing  needed  to  complete  its  popular 
usefulness.  The  difficulty  of  taking  right  and  left  eye 
pictures  with  perfect  accuracy  was  entirely  removed.  The 
objects  were  made  to  picture  themselves,  with  the  exact 
resemblances  and  differences  of  appearance  which  they  pre- 
sent to  the  eyes.  The  illusion  of  the  stereoscope,  acting 
upon  the  perfect  truth  of  the  photograph,  gives  a beautiful 
and  striking  effect  of  solidity  and  relief  to  the  pictures. 
Portraits,  landscapes,  buildings,  statues,  seem  no  longer 
plane  assemblages  of  lines,  lights,  and  shades,  on  flat  sur- 
faces. They  come  out  in  depth  and  relief  ; we  look  among 
and  beyond  them,  as  solid  objects,  just  as  we  would  in 
nature  itself.  In  order  to  secure  this  important  and  beau- 
tiful result,  the  stereoscopic  photographs  are  made  by  a 
camera  constructed  with  a pair  of  lenses  purposely.  If  the 
pictures  are  taken  by  a single  camera,  the  instrument  must 
be  set  in  two  positions  successively  to  get  true  right  and  left 
eye  pictures.  In  order  to  give  the  proper  relief,  the  centers 
of  the  lenses  should  be  placed  two  and  a half  inches  apart, 
the  average  distance  between  the  centres  of  two  eyes.  The 
distances  seem  unnaturally  drawn  out  in  the  stereoscopic 
view  if  the  angle  at  which  its  pictures  are  taken  is  greater 
than  that  of  natural  vision.  Very  few  artists  employ  the 
proper  angle,  some  using  six  or  eight  inches,  or  even  ten  or 
twenty.  The  result  is,  that  millions  of  stereoscopic  photo- 
graphs are  circulated  which  have  no  real  artistic  value. 
Streets  are  seen  twice  as  long  as  in  nature,  buildings  are 
enormously  increased  in  depth ; in  portraits,  the  head  seems 
protruded  from  the  neck,  and  the  nearer  parts  of  the 
figure  stand  out  from  the  others  unnaturally.  Sometimes, 
on  the  other  hand,  no  change  whatever  of  the  position  of 
the  camera  is  made.  The  same  picture  is  printed  for  each 
eye.  The  result  is,  a loss  of  the  true  stereoscopic  effect,  as 


THE  WOELD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


25 


well  as  injury  of  the  vision  in  the  effort  to  produce  this 
effect.  Great  care  should  be  taken  in  the  selection  of  views ; 
for  a great  number  of  the  pictures  published  are  stereo- 
scopic in  name  only. 

It  is  the  combination , therefore,  of  the  invention  of  the 
stereoscope  with  the  art  of  photography  which  has  given 
us  a new  educational  advantage  in  the  attainment  of  more 
extensive  and  accurate  knowledge  of  distant  countries,  cities, 
and  all  visible  objects,  than  was  possible  before.  The  mind 
is  trained  by  the  introduction  into  the  school-room  of  results, 
once  secured  only  after  long  travel  and  at  great  expense. 
A more  correct  conception  of  visible  nature  in  different 
parts  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  products  of  human  skill  and 
labor  is  imparted,  than  was  formerly  attainable  through 
the  imperfect  method  of  verbal  descriptions.  Every  school 
can  be  made  to  include  a valuable  gallery  of  whatever  is 
most  useful  and  interesting  in  the  visible  world.  The 
stereoscope,  once  a costly  toy  of  science,  afterward  an  in- 
strument of  popular  entertainment,  thus  becomes  a valuable 
means  of  education,  an  important  adjunct  to  the  most  use- 
ful studies. 


2 


26 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


II.— THE  YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 

The  wonderful  Yosemite  Valley  is  nearly  in  the  center 
of  California,  north  and  south,  and  just  midway  between 
the  east  and  west  base  of  the  Sierra,  here  a little  oyer 
seventy  miles  wide.  The  Valley  is  nearly  level,  about  six 
miles  in  length,  and  from  half  a mile  to  a mile  in  width, 
sunk  almost  a mile  in  depth  below  the  general  level  of  the 
neighboring  region.  It  may  be  roughly  likened  to  a 
gigantic  trough  hollowed  in  the  mountains.  This  trough 
is  quite  irregular,  until  we  arrive  near  its  upper  end,  when 
it  turns  sharply,  at  right  angles  almost,  and  soon  divides 
into  three  branches,  through  either  of  which  we  may, 
going  up  a series  of  gigantic  steps,  as  it  were,  ascend  to 
the  general  level  of  the  Sierra.  Down  each  of  these 
branches  descend  streams,  forks  of  the  Mercede  River, 
coming  down  the  steps  in  a series  of  stupendous  waterfalls. 
The  principal  features  of  the  Yosemite,  and  those  by  which 
it  is  distinguished  from  all  other  known  valleys,  are  : first, 
the  steepness  of  its  walls ; second,  their  great  height ; and 
finally,  the  very  small  amount  of  fragments  at  the  base  of 
these  gigantic  cliffs.  Besides  these,  there  are  many  other 
striking  peculiarities,  and  features  both  of  sublimity  and 
beauty,  which  can  hardly  be  surpassed,  if  equalled,  by 
those  of  any  mountain  valleys  in  the  world.  Some  of  these 
may  be  briefly  mentioned. 

Among  its  grand  mountain  domes  is  El  Capitan,  an 
immense  block  of  granite,  projecting  squarely  out  into  the 
Valley,  and  presenting  an  almost  upright  sharp  edge,  3,3()0 
feet  high.  The  sides  or  walls  of  the  mass  are  bare,  smooth, 
and  entirely  without  vegetation.  It  is  almost  impossible 
for  the  observer  to  comprehend  the  enormous  size  of  this 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


27 


rock,  which  in  clear  weather  can  be  distinctly  seen  at  a 
distance  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles.  Nothing,  however,  so 
helps  one  to  realize  the  greatness  of  these  masses  about  the 
Yosemite  as  climbing  around  and  among  them.  El  Capi- 
tan  imposes  on  us  by  its  stupendous  bulk,  which  seems  as 
if  hewn  from  the  mountains  on  purpose  to  stand  as  the  type 
of  eternal  massiveness.  It  is  doubtful  if  anywhere  in  the 
world  there  is  presented  so  squarely  cut,  so  lofty,  and  so  im- 
posing a face  of  rock. 

At  the  angle  where  the  Yosemite  branches,  we  have  the 
dome-shaped  mass  called  the  North  Dome.  This  rounded 
mass  of  granite  rises  to  an  elevation  of  3,568  feet  above  the 
Valley.  Such  dome-shaped  masses  are  somewhat  peculiar 
to  granitic  regions,  but  are  nowhere  developed  on  so  grand 
a scale  as  in  the  Sierras.  On  the  left  hand  or  north  side  of 
the  river  is  a massive  rock,  solitary  and  nearly  perpendicu- 
lar on  all  sides,  rising  perhaps  2,000  feet  above  its  base,  and 
little  inferior  in  grandeur  to  the  North  Dome.  This  has 
borne,  at  different  times,  a great  variety  of  names ; but  is 
best  known,  at  present,  as  the  “Cap  of  Liberty.”  It  has 
been  climbed,  and  has  on  its  summit,  according  to  Mr. 
Hutchings’  statement,  a juniper  tree  of  great  diameter. 

The  Half  Dome  (South  Dome)  is  the  loftiest  and  most 
imposing  mass  of  those  considered  as  part  of  the  Yosemite. 
It  is  a crest  of  granite  rising  to  the  height  of  4,737  feet 
above  the  Valley,  perfectly  inaccessible,  being  probably  the 
only  one  of  all  the  prominent  points  about  the  Yosemite 
which  never  has  been,  and  never  will  be  trodden  by  human 
foot.  On  one  side  it  is  absolutely  upright  for  2,000  feet  or 
more  from  the  summit,  and  then  falls  off  with  a very  steep 
slope  to  the  bottom  of  the  gorge.  On  the  opposite  face  the 
Half  Dome  is  not  absolutely  vertical ; it  has  a rounded  top 
and  grows  more  and  more  steep  at  the  bottom.  This  moun- 
tain has  not  the  massiveness  of  El  Capitan,  but  is  more 
astonishing,  and  probably  there  are  few  visitors  to  the  Val- 
ley who  would  not  give  it  the  first  place  among  all  the  won- 


28 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


ders  of  a region  which  is  rapidly  becoming  famous  and 
drawing  crowds  of  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

A very  prominent  object,  in  going  up  the  Yosemite  Val- 
ley, is  the  triple  group  of  rocks  known  as  the  Three  Broth- 
ers. These  rise  in  steps  one  behind  the  other,  the  highest 
being  3,830  feet  above  the  Valley.  From  its  summit  there 
is  a superb  view  of  the  Valley  and  its  surroundings.  The 
peculiar  outline  of  these  rocks,  as  seen  from  below,  resem- 
bling three  frogs  sitting  with  their  heads  turned  in  one 
direction,  is  supposed  to  have  suggested  the  Indian  name 
Pompompasus,  which  means,  we  are  informed,  “ Leaping 
Frog  Bocks.” 

Nearly  opposite  the  Three  Brothers  is  a point  of  rocks 
projecting  into  the  Valley,  the  termination  of  which  is  a 
slender  mass  of  granite,  having  something  the  shape  of  an 
obelisk,  and  called,  from  its  peculiar  position,  or  from  its 
resemblance  to  a gigantic  watch-tower,  the  “ Sentinel  Bock.” 
The  obelisk  form  of  the  Sentinel  continues  down  for  a thou- 
sand feet  or  more  from  its  summit ; below  that  it  is  united 
with  the  wall  of  the  Valley.  Its  entire  height  above  the 
river  at  its  base  is  3,043  feet.  Further  up  the  canon  of  the 
Tenaya  is  a beautiful  little  lake  called  “ Mirror  Lake,”  an 
expansion  of  the  Tenaya  Fork.  It  is  frequently  visited  for 
the  purpose  of  getting  the  reflection  from  its  unruffled  sur- 
face of  a noble  overhanging  mass  of  rock,  to  which  the 
name  of  Mount  Watkins  has  been  given  as  a compliment  to 
the  photographer  who  has  done  so  much  to  attract  attention 
to  this  region.  Still  further  up  the  Tenaya  Fork,  on  the 
right  hand  side,  is  “ Cloud’s  Best,”  the  somewhat  fanciful 
designation  of  a long,  bare,  steep  and  elevated  granite  ridge, 
which  connects  the  valley  with  the  high  Sierra.  This  point 
is  perhaps  a thousand  feet  higher  than  the  Half-Dome,  or/ 
nearly  10,000  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

This  whole  general  region  abounds  in  strange  and  curi- 
ous forms  of  rock,  mountain-side,  and  valley.  Among  them 
is  a natural  curiosity  which  has  been  discovered  on  the  line 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


29 


of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  It  is  a cut  or  cleft  in  the 
earth,  with  sides  as  perpendicular  as  if  fashioned  by  man, 
and  a smooth  bottom  running  at  an  equal  grade  from  the 
top  of  a lofty  hill  to  the  Weber  riyer  at  its  foot.  The  coun- 
try round  is  desolate  and  uninhabited,  and  there  is  positive- 
ly nothing  to  indicate  the  presence  of  a human  agency. 
This  is  one  of  the  strangest  works  of  Nature  in  the  Western 
States,  and  is  appropriately  termed  the  “ Devil's  Slide." 


III. — ROME : THE  LATERAN  AND  THE  VATICAN. 

The  city  of  Rome,  famous  in  ancient  and  modern  times, 
is  situated  in  Italy,  and  near  its  western  coast.  Its  history 
is  commonly  dated  back  to  753  B.  C.  At  that  time 
Romulus,  who  gave  his  name  to  the  city,  is  said  to  have 
become  its  king  and  founded  the  Roman  Empire.  Eor  the 
space  of  about  a thousand  years  Rome  was  the  chief  city  in 
the  world.  With  the  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  it  ceased 
to  be  of  importance  politically  and  commercially.  It’  has 
been  since  then  the  central  seat  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion,  the  Popes  having  resided  there  ever  since  the  year 
1277.  The  principal  interest  centering  in  the  city  to-day 
is  in  its  historic  associations,  and  the  vast  remains  of  its 
former  greatness  which  are  strewed  around  in  the  shape  of 
buildings,  aqueducts,  and  relics  of  the  fine  arts  which 
once  flourished  to  a great  degree.  The  structures  which 
are  left  to  us  prove  more  surely,  by  their  massiveness  and 
symmetry,  the  power  of  ancient  Rome,  than  we  can  learn 
from  the  pages  of  history  or  from  tradition. 


30 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Rome  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  river  Tiber*  which 
divides  it  into  two  unequal  parts*  the  larger  being  on  the 
eastern  bank.  There  are  seven  hills  in  and  about  the  city* 
which  have  always  been  identified  with  its  history. 

It  was  Cicero  who  said  that  Rome  was  well  adapted  for 
human  habitation*  from  the  healthiness  of  its  situation  in 
the  midst  of  an  unhealthy  country.  This  is  true  at  the 
present  day*  some  parts  of  the  city  being  remarkably  free 
from  the  malaria  infesting  the  neighborhood.  It  is  prob- 
able that  partly  on  this  account  and  partly  from  its  strength 
as  a tract  of  rocky  hills  in  the  midst  of  a large  plain*  that 
the  spot  was  first  settled. 

The  streets  of  modern  Rome  are  narrow  and  unattractive, 
and  there  is  only  one,  the  Corso*  which  possesses  a side- 
walk. The  Corso  is  the  principal  street*  and  is  about  a mile 
in  length.  It  divides  the  town  into  two  parts*  the  upper 
and  more  aristocratic  part*  and  the  poorer  district.  The 
Rome  of  to-day  is*  excepting  the  ruins  and  a few  prominent 
buildings*  an  entirely  different  city  from  the  Rome  of  the 
16th  century.  It  has  been  rebuilt  several  times*  and  each 
time  has  it  departed  more  from  the  original  beauty  of  the 
world’s  mistress. 

Among  the  most  interesting  religious  structures  in  the 
city  is  the  church  of  St.  John  Lateran*  which  has  a historic 
interest  of  its  own.  It  was  founded  in  the  fourth  century 
by  the  Emperor  Constantine*  and  called  by  the  Romans 
“the  mother  of  all  the  churches  in  the  city  and  in  the 
world.”  It  has  five  entrances  and  is  surmounted  by  twelve 
great  statues.  In  its  cloisters  are  shown  many  relics  to 
curiosity  hunters*  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the 
mouth  of  a well*  called  the  Well  of  the  Woman  of  Samaria* 
two  columns  of  Pilate’s  house*  and  a column  said  by  tradi- 
tion to  have  been  split  when  the  vail  of  the  temple  was  rent 
in  twain. 

There  is  no  palace  in  the  world  which  approaches  the 
Vatican  in  interest*  whether  we  regard  its  important  place 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


31 


in  the  history  of  the  Church,  or  the  influence  of  its 
museums  on  the  learning  and  taste  of  Christendom  for 
nearly  300  years.  It  is  an  immense  pile  of  buildings, 
irregular  in  shape,  and  built  at  different  times,  without  a 
due  regard  to  the  general  harmony  of  the  whole.  It  was 
first  made  the  residence  of  the  Popes  in  the  year  1377. 
Since  then  every  successive  papal  ruler  has  vied  with  his 
predecessor  in  making  it  the  largest  and  most  beautiful 
palace  of  the  Christian  world. 

The  space  that  the  buildings  occupy  is  immense;  its 
length  is  said  to  be  1,151  feet,  and  its  breadth  767  feet. 
The  number  of  its  hails,  chambers,  galleries,  etc.,  almost 
exceeds  belief.  It  has  8 grand  staircases,  200  smaller  stair- 
cases, 20  courts,  and  4,422  rooms. 

The  Vatican  Library  contains  the  choicest  collection  of 
works,  in  book  and  manuscript  form,  that  there  is  in  the 
world.  It  was  founded  over  400  years  ago  by  Nicholas  V., 
and  at  his  death  contained  9,000  volumes.  The  present 
building,  in  which  the  library  is  situated,  was  erected  in 
1588,  and  at  present  contains  over  50,000  manuscripts  and 
printed  books.  The  Great  Plall,  which  forms  the  chief 
body  of  the  library,  is  divided  into  two  portions  and  is 
decorated  with  historic  frescoes.  From  this  we  enter  the 
immense  double  gallery. 

Attached  to  its  columns  and  walls  are  the  painted 
cabinets  and  presses  which  contain  the  books ; these  are 
shut  with  close  doors,  so  that  a stranger  might  walk  through 
the  entire  suite  of  apartments,  and  have  no  suspicion  that 
he  is  surrounded  by  the  first  literary  treasures  of  the  world. 
Nothing  meets  the  eye  but  bright  frescoes  and  Etruscan 
vases,  and  the  effect  which  might  be  produced  by  the 
appearance  of  the  books  is  entirely  lost.  The  galleries  con- 
tain the  presses  with  the  manuscripts.  In  a museum  of 
Christian  antiquities,  are  different  instruments  of  torture 
by  which  many  of  the  early  Christians  suffered  martyrdom. 
Since  Victor  Emmanuel  made  Rome  the  capital  of  united 


32 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Italy,  in  the  latter  part  of  1871,  the  Vatican  palace  has 
become  the  sole  remaining  center  of  Papal  rule.  It  is 
occupied  by  the  aged  Pope,  who  has  guaranteed  to  him  the 
right  of  supreme  jurisdiction  over  it.  The  city,  under  the 
new  adminstration  of  its  government,  is  likely  to  have  in- 
creased political  importance. 


IV.— RESTORATION  OF  THE  WORKS  OF  ART  TO  ITALY. 

Land  of  departed  fame  ! whose  classic  plains 
Have  proudly  echoed  to  immortal  strains ; 

Whose  hallowed  soul  hath  given  the  great  and  brave — 
Day-stars  of  life — a birth-place  and  a grave ; 

Home  of  the  Arts  ! where  glory’s  faded  smile 
Sheds  lingering  light  o’er  many  a mouldering  pile  ; 

Proud  wreck  of  vanished  power,  of  splendor  fled, 

Majestic  temple  of  the  mighty  dead  ! 

Whose  grandeur,  yet  contending  with  decay. 

Gleams  through  the  twilight  of  thy  glorious  day  ; 

Though  dimmed  thy  brightness,  riveted  thy  chain, 

Yet,  fallen  Italy  ! rejoice  again  ! 

Awake,  ye  muses  of  Etrurian  shades, 

Or  sacred  Tivoli’s  romantic  glades  ; 

W ake,  ye  that  slumber  in  the  bowery  gloom  ; 

Where  the  wild  ivy  shadows  Virgil’s  tomb ; 

If  yet  by  classic  streams  ye  fondly  rove. 

Haunting  the  myrtle  vale,  the  laurel  grove ; 

Oh  ! rouse  once  more  the  daring  soul  of  song, 

Seize  with  bold  hand  the  harp,  forgot  so  long, 

And  hail  with  wonted  pride,  those  marks  revered ; 

Hallowed  by  time,  by  absence  more  endeared. 

Ye,  at  whose  voice  fair  Art,  with  eagle  glance, 

Burst  in  full  splendor  from  from  her  death-like  trance ; 

Whose  rallying  call  bade  slumbering  nations  wake, 

And  daring  Intellect  his  bondage  break ; 

Beneath  whose  eye  the  lords  of  song  arose, 

And  snatched  the  Tuscan  lyre  from  long  repose, 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


33 


And  bade  its  pealing  energies  resound, 

With  power  electric,  through  the  realms  around, 

0,  high  in  thought,  magnificent  in  soul  ! 

Born  to  inspire,  enlighten  and  control ! 

O,  rise  and  view  your  glorious  reign  once  more, 
The  shrine  where  nations  mingle  to  adore  ! 

There,  thou  fair  offspring  of  immortal  Mind  ! 

Love’s  radiant  goddess,  idol  of  mankind  ! 

Once  the  bright  object  of  Devotion’s  vow, 

Shalt  claim  from  taste  a kindred  homage  now. 

Oh  ! who  can  tell  what  beams  of  heavenly  light, 
Flashed  o’er  the  sculptor’s  intellectual  sight ; 

How  many  a glimpse  revealed  to  him  alone, 

Made  brighter  beings,  nobler  worlds  his  own, 

Ere,  like  some  vision  sent  the  earth  to  bless, 

Burst  into  life  thy  pomp  of  loveliness  ! 

Young  Genius  there,  while  dwells  his  kindling  eye 
On  forms,  instinct  with  bright  divinity, — 

While  new-born  powers,  dilating  in  his  heart, 
Embrace  the  full  magnificence  of  Art ; 

From  scenes  by  Raphael’s  gifted  hand  arrayed, 
From  dreams  of  Heaven  by  Angels  portrayed ; 
From  each  fair  work  of  Grecian  skill  sublime. 
Sealed  with  perfection,  “ sanctified  by  time,” 

Shall  catch  a kindred  glow,  and  proudly  feel 
His  spirit  burn  with  emulative  zeal ; 

Buoyant  with  loftier  hopes,  his  soul  shall  rise. 
Imbued  at  once  with  nobler  energies ; 

O’er  life’s  dim  scenes  on  rapid  pinions  soar, 

And  worlds  of  visionary  grace  explore ; 

Till  his  bold  hand  give  glory’s  day-dream  birth, 
And  with  new  wonders  charm  admiring  earth. 

Venice  exult ! and  o’er  thy  moonlight  seas, 

Swell  with  gay  strains  each  Adriatic  breeze  ! 

What  though  long  fled  those  years  of  martial  fame, 
That  shed  romantic  lustre  o’er  thy  name ; 

Though  quenched  the  spirit  of  thine  ancient  race, 
And  power  and  freedom  scarce  have  left  a trace 
Yet  still  shall  Art  her  splendors  round  thee  cast, 
And  gild  the  wreck  of  years  forever  past. 

3* 


34 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


And  thou,  whose  Eagle’s  towering  plume  unfurled, 
Once  cast  its  shadows  o’er  a vassal  world, 

Eternal  City  ! round  whose  curule  throne, 

The  lords  of  nations  knelt  in  ages  flown ; 

Those  whose  Augustan  years  have  left  to  time 
Immortal  records  of  their  glorious  prime ; 

When  deathless  bards,  thine  olive  shades  among. 
Swelled  the  high  raptures  of  heroic  song ; 

Fair,  fallen  Empress  ! raise  thy  languid  head 
From  the  cold  altars  of  th’  illustrious  dead. 

And  once  again,  with  fond  delight,  survey. 

The  proud  memorials  of  thy  noblest  day. 

Lo  ! where  thy  sons,  O Rome  ! a godlike  train, 

In  imaged  majesty  return  again  ! 

Bards,  chieftains,  monarchs,  tower  with  mien  august, 
O’er  scenes  that  shrine  their  venerable  dust ; 

Those  forms,  those  features,  luminous  with  soul, 

Still  o’er  thy  children  seem  to  claim  control ; 

With  awful  grace  arrest  the  pilgrim’s  glance. 

Bind  his  rapt  soul  in  elevating  trance, 

And  bid  the  past,  to  fancy’s  ardent  eyes, 

From  time’s  dim  sepulcher  in  glory  rise. 

Souls  of  the  lofty  ! whose  undying  names, 

Rouse  the  young  bosom  still  to  noblest  aims; 

Oh  ! with  your  images  could  fate  restore 
Your  own  high  spirit  to  your  sons  once  more, 
Patriots  and  heroes  ! could  those  flames  return, 

That  bade  your  hearts  with  freedom’s  ardor  burn, 
Then,  from  the  sacred  ashes  of  the  first, 

Might  a new  Rome  in  Phenix  grandeur  burst ! 

With  one  bright  glance  dispel  th’  horizon’s  gloom ; 
W ith  one  loud  call,  make  Empire  from  the  tomb  ; 
Bind  round  her  brows  her  own  triumphal  crown. 

Lift  her  dread  ^Egis  with  majestic  frown, 

Unchain  her  Eagle’s  wing,  and  guide  his  flight. 

To  bathe  his  plumage  in  the  fount  of  light. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


35 


V. — iETNA,  AND  THE  ERUPTION  OE  1865. 

One  of  the  most  famous  mountains  is  the  central  volcano 
of  iEtna,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Sicily.  It  is  an  active 
volcano,  and  we  have  the  account  of  its  tremendously 
violent  eruptions  both  in  ancient  and  modern  times.  The 
country  about  the  mighty  base  of  iEtna  is  everywhere 
covered  with  lava,  and  the  mountain  sides  are  furrowed  with 
its  broad  black  currents.  The  lower  region  of  the  moun- 
tain presents  a scene  of  fertility  and  loveliness  ; its  middle 
belt  consists  of  vast,  deep  forests  and  ample,  grassy  glades ; 
while  the  upper  region  is  a wild  and  dreary  waste,  covered 
with  rocks  and  ashes,  buried  during  several  months  of  the 
year  under  the  snow. 

There  are  eighty  craters  on  the  flanks  of  the  mountain. 
On  the  eastern  side  lies  a deep  valley,  between  four  and  five 
miles  in  diameter,  with  ridges  of  hard  lava  encrusted  into 
its  wall,  which  rises  from  1,000  to  3,000  feet  high.  The 
aspect  of  the  summit  is  terrible.  One  can  reach  the  very 
brink  of  the  crater  and  look  down  into  its  awful  depths,  to 
survey  its  chaos  of  black  rocks,  fragments  of  lava  and 
sulphur,  the  lava  boiling  and  seething  below  like  oil  in  a 
gigantic  caldron.  The  blue,  green  and  white  lava,  stained 
here  and  there  with  broad  patches  of  black  or  streaks  of 
bloody  red,  contrasts  strongly  with  the  livid  color  of  the 
rocks  around. 

The  last  great  eruption  of  HCtna  is  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  examples  which  can  be  brought  forward  of 
volcanic  eruptions.  The  explosion  had  been  heralded  by 
signs  for  some  long  time.  In  the  month  of  July,  1863, 
after  a series  of  convulsive  movements  of  the  soil,  the 
loftiest  cone  of  the  volcano  opened  on  the  side  which  faces 


36 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


the  south.  After  this  explosion,  the  mountain  never  became 
completely  calm ; numerous  cracks,  which  opened  on  the 
outer  slopes  of  the  crater,  continued  to  smoke,  and  the  hot 
vapor  never  ceased  to  jet  out  from  the  summit  in  thick 
eddies. 

Often,  indeed,  daring  the  night,  the  reflection  of  the  lava 
boiling  up  the  central  cavity  lighted  up  the  atmosphere 
with  a fiery  red.  The  liquid,  being  unable  to  rise  to  the 
mouth  of  the  crater,  pressed  against  the  outer  walls  of  the 
volcano,  and  sought  to  find  a vent  through  the  weakest 
point  of  the  crust  by  melting  gradually  the  rocks  that 
opposed  its  passage.  Finally,  in  January,  1865,  the  wall  of 
the  crater  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  the  lava ; some  roaring 
was  heard ; slight  agitations  affected  the  whole  eastern  part 
of  Sicily,  and  the  ground  was  rent  open  for  the  length  of  a 
mile  and  a half  to  the  north  of  one  of  the  secondary  cones 
which  rise  on  the  slope  of  AEtna,  and  the  pent-up  lava  vio- 
lently broke  through  to  the  surface. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  eruption,  the  two 
upper  craters,  standing  close  together  on  a single  cone, 
vomited  nothing  but  lumps  of  stone  and  ashes,  while  jets 
of  liquid  lava  were  emitted  by  the  lower  craters,  which  were 
arranged  in  a semicircle  round  a sort  of  funnel-shaped 
cavity.  The  cone,  on  a lower  part  of  the  fissure,  was  not  in 
a constant  state  of  eruption,  and  rested  after  each  effort  as  if 
to  take  breath. 

A crash  like  that  of  thunder  was  the  forerunner  of  the 
explosion ; clouds  of  vapor,  rolling  in  thick  folds,  gray  with 
ashes  and  furrowed  with  stones,  darted  out  from  the  mouth 
of  the  volcano,  darkening  the  atmosphere,  and  throwing  off 
their  projectiles  several  hundred  yards  round  the  hillock. 
Then,  after  having  discharged  their  burdens;  the  dark 
clouds  giving  way  before  the  pressure  of  the  winds,  mingled 
far  and  wide  with  the  mists  on  the  horizon.  The  lower 
cones,  which  rose  immediately  over  the  lava  source,  con- 
tinued to  rumble  and  to  discharge  molten  matter. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


37 


The  vapor  which  escaped  from  the  seething  well  of  lava 
crowded  in  dark  contortions  rottnd  the  mouth  of  the  craters. 
Some  of  it  was  red  or  yellow,  owing  to  the  reflection  of  the 
red-hot  matter,  and  some  was  variously  shaded  by  the  trains 
of  fragments  thrown  out  with  it;  but  it  was  impossible  to 
follow  them  with  the  eye,  so  rapid  was  their  flight.  A 
tumult  of  harsh  sounds  burst  forth ; they  were  like  the 
noises  of  saws,  whistles,  and  of  hammers  falling  on  an 
anvil.  Sometimes  one  might  have  fancied  it  like  the  roar- 
ing of  waves  breaking  upon  the  rocks  during  a storm,  if  the 
sudden  explosions  had  not  added  their  thunder  to  all  this 
uproar  of  the  elements. 

One  felt  dismayed,  as  if  before  some  living  being,  at  the 
sight  of  these  groups  of  hillocks,  roaring  and  smoking,  and 
increasing  in  size  every  hour,  by  the  matter  which  they 
vomited  forth  from  the  interior  of  the  earth.  The  volcano, 
however,  then  commenced  to  rest.  On  the  2d  of  February, 
the  principal  current,  the  breadth  of  which  varied  from  300 
to  500  yards,  with  an  average  thickness  of  49  feet,  reached 
the  upper  ledge  of  Colla-Vecchia,  three  miles  from  the  fissure 
of  eruption,  and  plunged  like  a cataract  into  the  gorge 
below. 

It  was  a magnificent  spectacle,  especially  during  the  night, 
to  see  this  sheet  of  molten  matter,  dazzling  red  like  liquid 
iron,  making  its  way  in  a thin  layer  from  the  heaps  of 
brown  ashes  which  had  gradually  accumulated  above ; then 
carrying  with  it  the  more  solid  lumps,  which  dashed  one 
against  the  other  with  a metallic  noise,  it  fell  over  into  the 
ravine,  only  to  rebound  in  stars  of  fire.  But  this  splendid 
spectacle  lasted  only  for  a few  days  : the  fiery  fall,  by  losing 
in  height,  diminished  gradually  in  beauty.  In  front  of  the 
cataract,  and  under  the  jet  itself,  there  was  formed  an  inces- 
santly increasing  slope  of  lava,  which  ultimately  filled  up 
the  ravine,  and,  indeed,  prolonged  the  slope  of  the  valley 
above.  From  the  reservoir,  which  was  more  than  160  feet 
deep,  the  stream  continued  to  flow  to  the  east,  filling  up  to 
the  brink  the  winding  gorge  of  a dried-up  rivulet. 


38 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


By  the  middle  of  the  month  of  February,  the  fiery 
stream,  already  more  than  * six  miles  long,  made  but  very 
slow  progress,  and  the  still  liquid  lava  found  it  difficult  to 
clear  an  outlet  through  the  crust  of  stones  cooled  by  their 
contact  with  the  atmosphere ; when,  all  of  a sudden,  a break- 
ing out  took  place  at  the  side  of  the  stream,  at  a point  some 
distance  up,  not  far  from  the  source.  Then  a fresh  branch 
of  the  burning  river,  flowing  toward  the  plains,  swallowed 
up  thousands  of  trees  which  had  been  felled  by  the  wood- 
men. This  second  inundation  of  lava  did  not,  however, 
last  long. 

A number  of  farm-houses  were  swept  away ; vast  tracts 
of  pasturage  and  cultivated  ground  were  covered  by  slowly 
hardening  rock,  and  a wide  band  of  forest,  comprising, 
from  100,000  to  130,000  trees,  was  completely  destroyed. 
When  seen  from  the  lower  part  of  the  mountain,  all  these 
burning  trunks  borne  along  upon  the  lava,  as  if  upon  a 
river  of  fire,  singularly  contributed  to  the  beauty  of  the 
spectacle.  During  the  earliest  period  of  the  eruption, 
whilst  the  villagers  of  H5tna  looked  at  it  with  stupor,  and 
were  bitterly  lamenting  over  the  destruction  of  their  forests, 
hundreds  of  curious  spectators,  brought  daily  by  the  steam- 
boats, from  Catania  and  Messina,  came  to  enjoy  at  their 
ease  the  contemplation  of  the  splendid  horrors  of  the  con- 
flagration. 

The  aspect  of  the  current  of  lava,  as  it  appeared  covered 
with  its  envelope  of  ashes,  was  scarcely  less  remarkable  than 
the  sight  of  the  matter  in  motion.  Its  black  or  reddish 
aspect  was  all  roughened  with  sharp  edges  which  resembled 
steps,  pyramids,  or  twisted  columns,  on  which  it  was  a dif- 
ficult matter  to  venture,  except  at  the  risk  of  tearing  the 
feet  and  hands.  Some  months  after  the  commencement 
of  the  eruption,  the  onward  motion  of  the  interior  of  the 
molten  stone  which,  by  breaking  the  outer  crust  in  every 
direction,  had  given  it  this  rugged  outline,  was  still  visibly 
taking  place.  Here  and  there  cracks  in  the  rock  allowed  a 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


39 


view,  as  if  through  an  air-hole,  of  the  red  and  liquid  lava 
swelling  np  as  it  flowed  gently  along. 

A metallic  clinking  sound  was  incessantly  heard,  proceed- 
ing from  the  fall  of  the  rocks,  which  were  breaking  under 
the  pressure  of  the  liquid  matter.  Sometimes,  on  the 
hardening  current  of  lava,  a kind  of  blister  gradually'  rose, 
which  either  opened  gently,  or,  bursting  with  a crash,  gave 
yent  to  the  molten  mass  which  formed  it.  Bound  the  yery 
mouths  of  the  yolcano,  a yast  glade  was  formed  in  the 
forest;  the  ground  was  covered  everywhere  with  ashes, 
which  the  wind  had  blown  up  into  hillocks,  like  the  dunes 
on  the  sea-coast.  The  nearest  trees  that  we  met  with,  at 
unequal  distances  from  the  mouths  of  eruption,  had  had 
their  branches  torn  off  by  the  falling  lumps  of  stone,  or 
were  buried  in  ashes.  A spectator  might  have  walked  among 
a number  of  yellow  branches  which  were  once  the  tops  of 
lofty  pines. 

And  yet  this  last  eruption,  one  of  the  most  important  in 
our  epoch,  is  insignificant  in  the  history  of  the  mountain; 
it  was  but  a mere  pulsation  of  zEtna.  During  the  last 
twenty  centuries  only,  more  than  seventy-five  eruptions 
have  taken  place,  and  in  some  of  them  the  flows  of  lava 
have  been  more  than  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  have  coy- 
ered areas  of  more  than  forty  square  miles,  which  were 
once  in  a perfect  state  of  cultivation,  and  dottqd  over  with 
towns  and  villages.  In  former  ages,  thousands  of  other 
lava-flows  and  cones  of  ashes  have  gradually  raised  and 
lengthened  the  slopes  of  the  mountain. 

The  mass  of  Mount  iEtna,  the  total  bulk  of  which  is 
three  or  four  thousand  times  greater  than  the  most  con- 
siderable of  the  rivers  of  stone  vomited  from  its  bosom,  is, 
in  fact,  from  its  summit  to  its  base,  down  even  to  the  low- 
est submarine  depths,  nothing  but  the  product  of  successive 
eruptions  throwing  out  the  molten  matter  of  the  interior. 
The  volcano  itself  has  slowly  raised  the  walls  of  its  crater, 
and  then  extended  its  long  slopes  down  to  the  waters  of  the 


40 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Ionian  Sea.  By  its  fresh  beds  of  lava  and  ashes,  incessantly 
renewed,  one  upon  the  other,  it  has  ultimately  reared  its  sum- 
mit into  the  regions  of  snow,  and  has  become  the  great 
“ pillar  of  heaven .” 


VI.— FAMOUS  EUROPEAN  CHURCHES. 

Among  the  most  imposing  and  costly  structures  of  the 
world,  are  buildings  for  religious  worship,  churches  and 
temples.  Some  of  the  finest  of  these  buildings  in  Europe 
are  the  four  great  churches  or  cathedrals  of  Strasbourg, 
Cologne,  Notre  Dame,  in  Paris,  and  St.  Mark’s,  in  Venice, 
brief  descriptions  of  which  have  been  gathered  below. 

The  Minster  of  Strasbourg  is  considered  to  have  been, 
before  its  injuries  in  the  Franco-Prussian  War  of  1870,  one 
of  the  finest  Gothic  buildings  in  Europe.  Its  spire  was, 
probably,  the  loftiest  in  the  world,  reaching  the  height  of 
466  feet,  16  feet  above  the  present  top  of  the  great  pyra- 
mid. The  front  of  the  church  is  of  imposing  magnitude, 
its  massive  walls  being  relieved  by  small  pillars  and  in- 
numerable statues,  all  wrought  to  great  perfection.  These 
statues  now  blackened  by  the  centuries  that  have  passed 
over  them,  have  a stern  appearance ; many  of  them  are  of 
gigantic  size.  The  tower,  supporting  the  spire,  consists 
of  strong  buttresses  adorned  with  small  columns  and  stat- 
ues, and  having  very  high  and  large  windows  which  take 
nearly  the  whole  breadth  of  the  four  sides.  Winding  stairs 
rise  to  the  base  of  the  spire,  from  which  the  visitor  climbs  to 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


41 


a massive  spot  called  “ the  lantern,”  commanding  a magnifi- 
cent view  of  the  city,  the  castles,  mountains,  and  numer- 
ous villages  around. 

The  interior  is  lighted  by  magnificent  painted  windows, 
and  supported  by  14  large  pillars.  Over  the  principal  porch 
is  a beautiful  sculptured  round  window,  back  of  which  is  a 
glass  gallery.  On  the  left  side  of  the  nave  stands  the  organ, 
a master-piece  of  work.  The  pulpit  is  a work  of  delicate 
sculpture  adorned  with  fifty  little  statues. 

This  Cathedral  has  long  been  noted  for  its  wonderful  as- 
tronomical clock,  which  was  begun  in  1352.  It  has  lately 
been  rebuilt,  and  is  a beautiful  piece  of  mechanism.  This 
clock  indicates  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  their 
eclipses,  &c.,  and  presents  figures  of  Christ,  the  apostles, 
childhood,  youth,  manhood,  old  age,  striking  the  quarters 
and  the  hours,  and  also  gives  the  ecclesiastical  days.  It 
is  impossible  to  describe  its  elaborate  machinery. 

Tradition  says  that  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred 
thousand  men  were  employed  in  the  construction  of  the 
Cathedral,  which  has  been  repeatedly  rebuilt  from  the  time 
of  Clovis,  thirteen  and  a half  centuries  ago,  till  1015,  when 
the  present  foundation  was  laid.  It  has  been  many  times 
struck  with  lighting  and  considerably  injured.  But  it  has 
suffered  still  more  from  the  violence  of  war,  both  in  ancient 
and  in  recent  times. 

The  Cathedral  of  Cologne,  though  begun  in  1248,  still 
remains  unfinished.  The  contributions  of  over  a million 
of  dollars  have  been  chiefly  employed  in  repairing  dilapida- 
tions and  preserving  what  is  built  from  ruin.  On  the  top 
of  the  highest  tower  (not  one-third  completed)  the  crane 
employed  to  raise  building  stones  has  stood  for  centuries. 

This  church  is  one  of  the  purest  Gothic  monuments  of 
Europe.  The  two  chief  towers  are  to  be  500  feet  in  height, 
and  the  entire  length  of  the  church  will  be  511  feet.  The 
choir  only  is  finished,  and,  from  its  size,  height,  and  dis- 
position of  pillars,  arches,  chapels,  and  beautifully  colored 


42 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


windows,  resembles  within  a splendid  vision.  Externally, 
its  huge  flying  buttresses,  intervening  piers,  bristling  with 
a forest  of  pinnacles,  strike  the  beholder  with  admiration. 
The  church  contains  monuments  to  the  Archbishops  of 
Cologne,  and  the  celebrated  Shrine  of  The  Three  Kings, 
which  is  richly  adorned  with  gold  and  precious  stones. 
Those  who  show  the  shrine  assert  (with  exaggeration,  un- 
doubtedly) that  its  treasures  are  worth  over  a million  of 
dollars.  If  this  great  cathedral  were  completed,  it  would 
be  at  once  the  most  regular  and  the  most  stupendous 
Gothic  edifice  in  the  world. 

The  Cathedral  Church  of  Notre  Dame  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  prominent  in  Paris.  This  superb  building  was  begun 
about  the  year  1000,  and  completed  in  a little  over  300 
years.  The  building  is  nearly  400  feet  long,  and  its  lofty 
square  towers  rise  204  feet.  The  spires  for  which  these 
towers  were  intended  have  never  been  built.  Behind  them 
there  is  now  a new  spire,  adorned  with  statues  and  sur- 
mounted by  a gilt  cross.  The  western  front  is  the  finest. 
Three  ample  portals,  divided  by  square  pillars,  lead  into  the 
church. 

The  interior  is  rich  with  sculptures  and  paintings,  and 
the  arches  are  adorned  with  figures  of  angels  and  saints. 
Between  the  towers  is  a large  rose  window  of  exquisite 
coloring.  The  organ  is  remarkably  fine,  containing  3,484 
pipes.  This  church  has  recently  undergone  extensive  re- 
pairs ; and  many  of  the  altars  and  paintings  are  not  in 
place.  It  is  a gratifying  fact,  that  in  the  ravages  by  fire 
of  the  Communist  Rebellion,  Notre  Dame  escaped  with 
but  few  injuries,  none  of  these  affecting  the  outside  of  the 
edifice. 

The  singular  but  splendid  church  of  St.  Mark,  at  the 
eastern  end  of  St.  Mark’s  Square,  in  Venice,  is  a rich  and 
strange  building,  which  has  attracted  universal  admiration. 
In  its  principal  front  there  are  set  500  columns  of  precious 
marbles,  green,  purple,  orange,  some  with  oriental  inscrip- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


43 


tions.  Oyer  the  central  yault  of  the  portal  stand  the  cele- 
brated gilt  bronze  horses,  brought  anciently  from  Constan- 
tinople. The  recesses  oyer  the  doorways  are  filled  with 
rich  mosaics,  and  the  front  is  crowded  with  statuesque 
figures.  Crossing  the  threshold  below,  one  finds  a rich  and 
yariegated  payement;  around  are  spread  gold-grounded 
mosaics  oyer  roof  and  wall;  while  aboye,  spread  the  re- 
splendent cupolas.  Perhaps  the  best  impression  to  be  con- 
yeyed in  words  of  this  wonderful  structure  is  that  given 
by  Ruskin’s  celebrated  description,  which  is  as  splendid  an 
achievement  in  language  as  the  church  is  in  architecture. 

“ All  the  great  square  seems  to  have  opened  from  it  in  a 
kind  of  awe,  that  we  may  see  it  far  away ; a multitude  of 
pillars  and  white  domes  clustered  into  a long,  low  pyra- 
mid of  colored  light ; a treasure  heap,  it  seems,  partly  of 
gold,  and  partly  of  opal  and  mother-of-pearl,  hollowed 
beneath  into  five  great  vaulted  porches,  ceiled  with  fair 
mosaic,  and  beset  with  sculpture,  of  alabaster,  clear  as  amber 
and  delicate  as  ivory — sculpture,  fantastic  and  involved,  of 
palm  leaves  and  lilies,  and  grapes  and  pomegranates,  and 
birds  clinging  and  fluttering  among  the  branches,  all  twined 
together  into  an  endless  network  of  buds  and  plumes ; and, 
in  the  midst  of  it,  the  solemn  form  of  angels,  sculptured 
and  robed  to  the  feet,  and  leaning  to  each  other  across  the 
gates,  their  figures  indistinct  among  the  gleaming  of  the 
golden  ground  through  the  leaves  beside  them,  interrupted 
and  dim,  like  the  morning  light  as  it  faded  among  the 
branches  of  Eden,  when  first  its  gates  were  angel-guarded 
long  ago.  And  round  the  walls  of  the  porches  there  are 
set  pillars  of  variegated  stones  with  interwoven  tracery, 
rooted  knots  of  herbage,  and  drifting  leaves  of  acanthus 
and  vine,  and  mystical  signs,  all  beginning  and  ending  in 
the  Cross ; and  above  them,  in  the  broad  archi volts,  a con- 
tinuous chain  of  language  and  of  life — angels,  and  the 
signs  of  heaven,  and  the  labors  of  men,  each  in  its  ap- 
pointed season  upon  the  earth;  and  above  these,  another 


44 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


range  of  glittering  pinnacles,  mixed  with  white  arches, 
edged  with  scarlet  flowers, — a confusion  of  delight,  amidst 
which  the  breasts  of  the  Greek  horses  are  seen  blazing  in 
their  breadth  of  golden  strength,  and  the  St.  Mark’s  Lion, 
lifted  on  a blue  field  covered  with  stars,  until  at  last,  as  ii 
in  ecstasy,  the  crests  of  the  arches  break  into  a marble 
foam,  and  toss  themselves  far  into  the  blue  sky  in  flashes 
and  wreaths  of  sculptured  spray. 

“ Let  us  enter  the  church  itself.  It  is  lost  in  still  deeper 
twilight,  to  which  the  eye  must  be  accustomed  for  some 
minutes  before  the  form  of  the  building  can  be  traced; 
and  then  there  opens  before  us  a vast  cave,  hewn  out  into 
the  form  of  a cross,  and  divided  into  shadowy  isles  by 
many  pillars.  Round  the  domes  of  its  roof  the  light  enters 
only  through  narrow  apertures  like  large  stars;  and  here 
and  there  a ray  or  two  from  some  far  away  casement  wanders 
into  the  darkness,  and  casts  a narrow  phosphoric  stream 
upon  the  waves  of  marble  that  heave  and  fall  in  a thou- 
sand colors  along  the  floor. 

“ What  else  there  is  of  light  is  from  torches,  or  silver 
lamps,  burning  ceaselessly  in  the  recesses  of  the  chapels ; 
the  roof  sheeted  with  gold,  and  the  polished  wall  covered 
with  alabaster,  give  at  every  curve  and  angle  some  feeble 
gleaming  to  the  flames ; and  the  glories  around  the  heads 
of  the  sculptured  saints  flash  upon  us  as  we  pass  them,  and 
sink  into  the  gloom.  Under  foot  and  over  head  a continual 
succession  of  crowded  imagery,  one  picture  passing  into 
another,  as  in  a dream ; forms  beautiful  and  terrible  mixed 
together,  dragons  and  serpents,  and  ravening  beasts  of 
prey,  and  graceful  birds  that,  in  the  midst  of  them, 
drink  from  running  fountains,  and  feed  from  vases  of 
crystal ; the  passions  and  the  pleasures  of  human  life  sym- 
bolized together,  and  the  mystery  of  its  redemption ; for 
the  mazes  of  interwoven  lines  and  changeful  pictures  lead 
always  at  last  to  the  Cross,  lifted  and  carved  in  every 
place  and  upon  every  stone ; sometimes  with  the  serpent 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


45 


of  eternity  wrapt  around  it;  sometimes  with  doves  against 
its  arms,  and  sweet  herbage  growing  forth  from  its  feet; 
but  conspicuous  most  of  all  on  the  great  rood  that  crosses 
the  church  before  the  altar,  raised  in  bright  blazonry  against 
the  shadow  of  the  apse.  It  is  the  cross  that  is  first  seen, 
and  always  burning  in  the  center  of  the  temple ; and  the 
hollow  of  its  roof  has  the  figure  of  Christ  in  the  utmost 
height  of  it,  raised  in  power,  or  returning  in  judgment.” 


VII— THE  FIEST  CONQUEST  OE  MONT  BLANC. 

Mont  Blanc,  the  monarch  of  the  snowy  Alps,  is  the 
highest  peak  of  Europe.*  Eor  a long  time,  this  lofty  fast- 
ness was  supposed  to  be  inaccessible  to  man.  It  was  not 
even  known  whether  the  rarefied  air  at  its  top  could  sup- 
port human  life.  Saussure,  in  1760,  imagined  its  ascent 
possible,  and  offered  a reward  to  any  of  the  Swiss  moun- 
taineers who  would  accomplish  it.  Various  daring  attempts 
were  made  during  the  next  twenty-five  years;  but  none 
were  successful. 

The  wastes  of  snow  and  ice,  the  immense  crevasses,  the 
steep  and  terrific  slopes,  the  dazzling  reflection  of  the  smfig 
rays,  the  intense  cold,  the  storms  and  fatigue,  all  conspired 
to  make  success  seem  impossible.  In  1785,  Saussure  him- 
self made  the  attempt;  but  after  great  exertions  and 
fatigue,  it  was  found  that  a fresh  fail  of  snow  rendered  fur- 
ther progress  impossible,  and  the  adventure  was  given  up 

14739  above  the  sea  level.  Mt.  Rosa  is  15,210,* 


46 


THE  WORLD  IK  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


at  an  elevation  of  11,250  feet.  It  was  reserved  for  one  of 
the  guides  of  this  expedition  to  succeed  in  an  attempt  so 
often  attended  with  failure. 

Pierre  Balmat  took  to  himself  two  other  guides,  and  on 
the  sixth  of  July,  1786,  they  went  to  pass  the  night  in  the 
hut  of  the  Pierre  Ronde.  They  started  at  daybreak,  and 
ascended  to  the  “ Needle,”  as  it  is  called,  and  finally  to  the 
Dome  du  Gouter,  but  not  without  severe  suffering  from  the 
rarefaction  of  the  air.  It  was  then  believed  that  this  was 
the  only  way  by  which  Mont  Blanc  could  be  approached ; 
therefore  some  of  the  Chamounix  guides  had  divided  into 
two  troops,  to  test  the  comparative  facilities  of  the  differ- 
ent routes  leading  to  the  Dome.  They  were  joined  by 
another  guide,  Jacques  Balmat,  who  for  some  years  had 
been  independently  seeking  the  road  to  Mont  Blanc,  and 
for  whom  was  reserved  the  glory  of  first  discovering  it. 

The  two  groups  of  guides,  having  reunited,  traversed  a 
vast  snow  field,  and  gained  the  long  ridge  which  connects 
the  Dome  du  Gouter  to  Mont  Blanc.  But  this  ridge, 
which  strikes  between  two  precipices,  each  6,000  feet  in 
height,  is  so  narrow  and  of  so  abrupt  an  ascent,  that  it 
proved  utterly  impracticable  to  reach  Mont  Blanc  by  it. 
The  guides  only  acknowledged  this  evident  fact  with  much 
reluctance.  Jacques  Balmat,  however,  persisted  in  continu- 
ing the  adventure.  He  risked  his  life  on  the  narrow  ridge, 
and  to  move  forward  was  obliged  to  place  himself  on  all- 
fours  upon  the  species  of  ass’s  back  formed  by  this  terrible 
escarpment.  His  companions,  frightened  at  his  temerity, 
abandoned  him,  and  re-descended. 

After  brave  but  fruitless  efforts,  Jacques  Balmat  was 
forced  to  desist  from  his  impossible  enterprise.  He  retraced 
his  steps,  still  straddling  along  the  ridge,  like  a child  on  its 
grandfather’s  stick.  But  he  found  himself  deserted  by  his 
companions,  who  felt  no  sympathy  for  him,  because  he  had 
followed  them  without  their  consent.  The  gallant  moun- 
taineer, piqued  by  their  cowardly  abandonment,  resolved  to 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


47 


remain  alone  in  these  frozen  wastes  and  desolate  wilder- 
nesses until  he  had  discovered  a practicable  mode  of  ascend- 
ing Mont  Blanc.  He  descended  to  the  Grand  Plateau, 
where  he  resolved  to  pass  the  night.  The  Grand  Plateau 
of  Mont  Blanc  is  a slightly  inclined  plane  of  about  2,000 
square  acres,  nearly  10,000  feet  above  the  sea;  swept  by 
continual  avalanches,  and  exposed  to  the  most  biting 
winds ; for  it  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  peaks  of  snow, 
where  the  traveler  can  find  neither  rock  nor  stone  to  serve 
as  a shelter  or  resting  place.  Even  during  the  summer, 
and  in  the  sun,  the  thermometer  here  marks  always  zero. 
In  this  awful  desert  Jacques  Balmat,  without  covering, 
having  only  his  mantle  and  alpen  stock,  spent  the  night, 
crouching  under  a crag,  and  but  poorly  defended  against  a 
small,  drizzling,  frozen  snow,  which  fell  incessantly. 

At  daybreak,  he  resumed  his  explorations  of  the  moun- 
tain. It  was  thus  that  he  discovered  the  proper  direction 
in  which  to  climb  the  “ sovran  peak,”  namely,  by  following 
up  the  valley  of  snow  which  stretches  from  the  point  now 
known  as  the  Grands  Mulets  and  ascending  from  thence 
to  Mont  Blanc  by  a moderately  steep  acclivity.  The  bad 
weather,  snow,  excessive  cold,  and  want  of  provisions  pre- 
vented him  from  pushing  forward  to  the  goal ; but,  in 
re-descending  the  valley,  he  ascertained  the  actual  course  to 
be  pursued  in  order  to  gain  the  summit. 

On  returning  home,  he  slept  for  eight-and-forty  hours 
without  once  awaking.  The  incessant  refraction  of  the 
sun’s  rays  upon  the  snow  had  so  fatigued  his  sight,  that  he 
suffered  severely  from  diseased  eyes.  A physician  named 
Paccard,  who  resided  in  the  village,  relieved  him.  In  grati- 
tude for  his  cure,  and  acknowledgment  of  his  skill,  Balmat 
revealed  to  him  his  great  discovery,  and  proposed  to  him  to 
share  the  glory  of  accomplishing  the  First  Ascent  of  Mont 
Blanc.  Dr.  Paccard  accepted  the  proposal  joyfully* 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1786,  the  two  adventurers  com- 
menced their  daring  expedition.  They  had  only  confided 


48 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ - 


to  two  persons  the  secret  of  their  project  before  carrying  it 
into  execution.  So  they  accomplished  alone  this  lengthened 
and  dangerous  route.  All  their  stores  consisted  of  a couple 
of  woolen  coverlets,  in  which  to  wrap  themselves  at  night, 
under  the  shelter  of  a projecting  rock.  It  is  difficult  to 
understand  how  these  two  men,  reduced  to  their  own 
resources,  in  the  midst  of  these  desolate  wastes,  these  ice- 
bound deserts,  which  had  never  before  been  trodden  by 
human  foot,  could  reach  the  goal  they  had  proposed  to 
themselves,  in  spite  of  the  snows  and  the  precipices,  the 
cold,  and  the  rarefaction  of  the  atmosphere.  But  it  is  cer- 
tain that,  after  passing  the  night  under  a rock  on  the 
plateau  of  the  Grands  Mulcts,  they  ascended  on  the  follow- 
ing day  to  the  “ Monarch  of  the  Mountains.” 

The  inhabitants  of  Chamounix  meanwhile  had  assembled 
in  crowds,  and,  by  means  of  their  telescopes,  could  perceive 
the  two  heroes  on  the  topmost  peak  of  Mont  Blanc— that 
is,  of  the  loftiest  mountain  in  Europe,  which  had  hitherto 
been  considered  utterly  inaccessible  to  man.  Jacques  Bal- 
mat  and  Paccard  remained  for  half  an  hour  on  the  horse- 
shoe ridge,  which  forms  the  actual  summit.  But,  owing  to 
the  continued  refraction  and  dazzling  gleam  of  the  sunlit 
snows,  Paccard,  when  he  regained  the  valley,  was  almost 
blind ; while  Balmat's  face  was  swollen,  his  lips  were  con- 
gested with  blood,  and  his  eyes  were  sorely  fatigued. 

“It  is  strange,”  said  Paccard  to  his  companion  next 
morning,  “I  hear  the  birds  sing,  and  it  is  not  day!” 

“That  is  because  you  cannot  see,”  replied  Balmat;  “the 
sun  has  risen,  but  the  swelling  of  your  eyelids  renders  you 
temporarily  blind.” 

Happily  this  accident  had  no  fatal  consequences.  Dr. 
Paccard  died  in  1830,  at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-nine..  As 
for  Jacques  Balmat,  he  perished  miserably,  in  1834,  at  the 
bottom  of  a precipice.  Some  vague  rumors  had  induced 
him  to  believe  that  a vein  of  gold  existed  on  the  flank  of 
one  of  the  lofty  peaks  which  shut  in  the  valley  of  the  Sixt 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


49 


on  the  northeast,  and  he  started  in  search  of  it.  But  the 
place  indicated  proved  inaccessible;  it  was  necessary  to 
advance  along  a narrow  cornice,  beneath  which  descended, 
sheer  and  somber,  into  the  abyss,  a precipice  nearly  400 
feet  in  depth.  The  sight  froze  his  blood  with  terror.  But, 
sometime  afterward,  accompanied  by  a chamois  hunter,  as 
rash  and  as  intrepid  as  himself,  he  renewed  the  attempt. 
He  ventured  on  the  narrow  cornice — a few  steps — and  he 
disappeared  in  the  abyss ! His  body  was  never  found. 


VIII. — ALPINE  SCENERY. 

Adieu  to  thee,  fair  Rhine  ! how  long,  delighted, 

The  stranger  fain  would  linger  on  his  way ! 

Thine  is  a scene  alike  when  souls  united 
Or  lonely  Contemplation  thus  might  stray ; 

And  could  the  ceaseless  vultures  cease  to  prey 
On  self-condemning  bosoms,  it  were  here, 

Where  Nature,  nor  too  sombre  nor  too  gay. 

Wild,  but  not  rude,  awflu,  yet  not  austere. 

Is  to  the  mellow  earth  as  Autumn  to  the  year,. 

Adieu  to  thee  again,  a vain  adieu ! 

There  can  be  no  farewell  to  scenes  like  thine; 

The  mind  is  colored  by  thine  every  hue; 

And  if  reluctantly  the  eyes  resign 
Their  cherished  gaze  upon  thee,  lovely  Rhine, 

’Tis  with  the  thankful  glance  of  parting  praise; 
More  mighty  spots  may  rise — more  glaring  shine, 

Bnt  none  unite,  in  one  attaching  maze, 

The  brilliant,  fair,  and  soft — the  glories  of  old  days. 

3 


50 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


But  these  recede.  Above  me  are  the  Alps, 

The  palaces  of  Nature,  whose  vast  walls 
Have  pinnacled  in  clouds  their  snowy  scalps, 

And  throned  eternity  in  icy  halls 
Of  cold  sublimity,  where  forms  and  falls 
The  avalanche — the  thunder-bolt  of  snow  ! 

All  that  expands  the  spirit,  yet  appals, 

Gather  around  these  summits,  as  to  show 

How  Earth  may  pierce  to  Heaven,  yet  leave  vain  man  Delow. 

Clear,  placid  Leman  ! thy  contrasted  lake 
With  the  wide  world  I’ve  dwelt  in  is  a thing 
Which  warns  me  with  its  stillness  to  forsake 
Earth’s  troubled  waters  for  a purer  spring. 

This  quiet  sail  is  as  a noiseless  wing 

To  waft  me  from  distraction ; once  I loved 
Torn  ocean’s  roar ; not  thy  soft  murmuring 
Sounds  sweet  as  if  a sister’s  voice  reproved 
That  I with  stern  delights  should  e’er  have  been  so  moved. 

It  is  the  dark  of  night ; and  all  between 
Thy  margin  and  the  mountains,  dusk  yet  clear; 

Mellowing  and  mingling,  yet  distinctly  seen. 

Save  darkened  Jura,  whose  capt  heights  appear 
Precipitously  steep ; and  drawing  near, 

There  breathes  a living  fragrance  from  the  shore. 

Of  flowers  yet  fresh  with  childhood ; on  the  ear 
Drops  the  light  drip  of  the  suspended  oar. 

Or  chirps  the  grasshopper  one  good-night  carol  more. 

He  is  an  evening  reveller,  who  makes 
Plis  life  an  infancy,  and  sings  his  fill ; 

At  intervals,  some  bird  from  out  the  brakes 
Starts  into  voice  a moment,  then  is  still. 

There  seems  a floating  whisper  on  the  hill ; — 

But  that  is  fancy ; for  the  starlight  dews 
All  silently  their  tears  of  love  distil. 

Weeping  themselves  away  till  they  infuse 
Deep  into  Nature’s  breast  the  spirit  of  her  hues. 

Ye  stars  which  art  the  poetry  of  heaven. 

If  in  your  bright  leaves  we  would  read  the  fate 
Of  men  and  empires, — ’tis  to  be  forgiven 
That  in  our  aspiration  to  be  great, 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


51 


Our  destinies  o’erleap  their  mortal  state, 

And  claim  a kindred  with  you ; for  ye  are 
A beauty  and  a mystery,  and  create 

In  us  such  love  and  reverence  from  afar, 

That  fortune,  fame,  power,  life,  have  named  themselves  a star. 

The  sky  is  changed  ! and  such  a change  ! Oh,  Night, 

And  Storm,  and  Darkness,  ye  are  wondrous  strong, 

Yet  lovely  in  your  strength,  as  is  the  light 
Of  a dark  eye  in  woman  ! For  along 
From  peak  to  peak,  the  rattling  crags  among, 

Leaps  the  live  thunder  ! — not  from  one  lone  cloud, 

But  every  mountain  now  hath  found  a tongue ; 

And  Jura  answers  through  her  misty  shroud, 

Back  to  the  joyous  Alps  who  call  to  her  aloud. 

And  this  is  in  the  night : — most  glorious  night : 

Thou  wert  not  sent  for  slumber ; let  me  be 
A sharer  in  thy  fierce  and  far  delight, — 

A portion  of  the  tempest  and  of  thee  ! 

How  the  lit  lake  shines — a phosphoric  sea — 

And  the  big  rain  comes  dancing  to  the  earth ! 

And  now  again  ’tis  black — and  now,  the  glee 
Of  the  loud  hills  shakes  with  its  mountain  mirth 
As  if  they  did  rejoice  o’er  a young  earthquake’s  birth. 

Sky,  mountains,  river,  winds,  lake,  lightnings  ! ye, 

With  night  and  clouds  and  thunder,  and  a soul 
To  make  these  felt  and  feeling,  well  may  be 

Things  that  have  made  me  watchful ; — the  ftir  roll 
Of  your  departing  voices  is  the  knoll 
Of  what  in  me  is  sleepless, — if  I rest. 

But  where,  of  ye,  O tempests,  is  the  goal  ? 

Are  ye  like  those  within  the  human  breast  ? 

Or  do  ye  find,  at  length,  like  eagles,  some  high  nest  ? 

The  morn  is  up  again,  the  dewy  morn, 

With  breath  all  incense,  and  with  cheek  all  bloom, 

Laughing  the  clouds  away  with  playful  scorn, 

And  living  as  if  earth  contained  no  tomb, — 

And  glowing  into  day,  we  may  resume 
The  march  of  our  existence;  and  thus  I, 

Still  on  thy  shores,  fair  Leman,  may  find  room, 

And  food  for  meditation,  nor  pass  by 

Much  that  may  give  us  pause,  if  pondered  fittingly. 


U.  Of  ILL  Lie, 


52 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


IX.— CHICAGO  BEFORE  THE  EIRE. 

A fire,  unrivaled  for  extent  and  destruction  of  property 
in  the  annals  of  history,  visited  the  city  of  Chicago,  Octo- 
ber 8th,  1871.  Other  great  conflagrations,  like  those  o 
London  and  Moscow,  swept  away  districts  but  imperfectly 
built,  which  subsequent  enterprise  beautified  and  adorned ; 
but  this  fire  wiped  out  the  most  substantially  built  and 
beautifully  adorned  portion  of  the  city.  To  comprehend 
the  magnitude  of  the  disaster  it  is  necessary  to  recur  to  the 
earlier  history  of  the  city  and  trace  her  progress  from  small 
beginnings  until  she  attained  her  late  commanding  posi- 
tion— the  fourth  city  in  population,  and  the  third  city  in 
commercial  importance,  in  the  United  States.  The  site  of 
Chicago  was  first  visited  by  Marquette,  a Jesuit  missionary, 
in  1672;  but  there  was  no  regular  occupancy  of  the  place 
until  m 1804,  when  the  United  States  Government  estab- 
lished a military  post  at  the  mouth  of  Chicago  River, 
called  Eort  Dearborn.  At  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  in  1832,  the  country  was  thrown  open  to  settlement; 
and  emigration  soon  began  to  flow  in  with  an  uninterrupted 
tide,  which  has  continued  up  to  the  present  hour.  A ham- 
let clustered  around  Eort  Dearborn  which  took  the  name  of 
Chicago ; and  in  1839  the  first  shipment  of  wheat  was  sent 
from  this  port,  which  is  now  the  world’s  great  port  for 
breadstuffs  and  provisions.  In  1840  Chicago  contained  a 
population  of  4,470 ; in  1860,  109,263 ; and  at  the  time  of 
the  fire,  hardly  less  than  350,000  souls. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  uninviting  than  the  origi- 
nal site  of  the  city.  Ridges  of  shifting  sand  bordered  the 
lake  shore ; while  inland,  and  stretching  beyond  the  range 
of  vision,  was  morass  supporting  a rank  growth  of  blue-joint 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


53 


grass,  with  here  and  there  a clump  of  jack  oaks.  Through 
this  morass  wound  the  sluggish  river,  only  flushed  by  the 
spring  and  fall  freshets. 

In  1833  a post-office  was  established,  and  the  mail  was 
brought  weekly,  on  horseback,  from  Mies,  Michigan.  In 
1837  Chicago  became  incorporated  as  a city,  and  William 
B.  Ogden  was  chosen  as  its  first  mayor.  From  that  time  to 
the  present,  the  history  of  the  growth  of  the  city  becomes 
too  complex  to  be  traced,  except  in  a comprehensive  form. 
A series  of  public  improvements  was  devised  which  made 
Chicago  one  of  the  pleasantest  and  healthiest  cities  in  the 
Union.  A system  of  sewerage  was  established  for  under- 
ground draining,  which  required  that  the  original  surface 
in  many  places  be  raised  eight  feet.  This  change  of  grade 
involved  the  necessity  of  raising  many  of  the  largest  struc- 
tures in  those  streets  adjacent  to  the  river.  Such  immense 
buildings  as  the  Tremont  and  Briggs  Houses,  the  Marine 
Bank,  and  in  fact  entire  blocks,  were. lifted  up  with  little  or 
no  interruption  of  business. 

To  supply  the  city  with  pure  water,  Lake  Michigan  was 
resorted  to  as  an  unfailing  reservoir.  A “ crib,”  40  feet  in 
height  and  98-J-  feet  in  diameter,  was  floated  to  a site  in  the 
Lake,  two  miles  from  shore,  and  there  sunk.  From  this 
a tunnel  was  built  to  the  shore.  By  means  of  enormous 
pumps,  the  water  is  forced  up  a tower,  130  feet  high,  whence 
its  own  pressure  distributes  it  to  different  parts  of  the  city. 

The  intercourse  between  the  three  divisions  of  the  city, 
up  to  a recent  time,  had  been  effected  wholly  by  swing 
bridges,  which  were  a serious  impediment  to  navigation, 
and  equally  so,  by  their  continuous  turning,  to  vehicles  and 
pedestrians.  To  obviate  this,  two  tunnels  were  constructed 
under  the  river,  one  at  La  Sale  and  one  at  Washington 
streets.  It  is  not  surprising  that  a place  built  up  so  rapidly 
as  Chicago  should  present  a somewhat  incongruous  ap- 
pearance. The  rapid  increase  of  the  population  required  a 
hasty  erection  of  buildings,  and  landlord  and  tenant  alike 


54 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


concurred,  the  one  in  erecting,  the  other  in  occupying, 
tenements  of  the  most  unsubstantial  character.  These 
structures  received  the  very  appropriate  name  of  “ balloon  ” 
houses. 

As  business  increased,  and  more  massive  and  less  inflam- 
mable structures  were  required,  these  houses  were  moved  to 
the  less  populous  districts.  At  the  date  of  the  fire  there 
was  no  city  in  Christendom  which  contained  such  a vast 
mass  of  combustible  materials.  No  restrictions  had  been 
placed  on  the  erection  of  two-story  wooden  buildings  in  the 
most  valuable  portions  of  the  city.  The  consequence  of 
this  was,  that  while  a large  part  of  the  South  Division  was 
built  up  with  magnificent  blocks  which,  if  left  to  them- 
selves, would  escape  wholesale  destruction  by  fire,  scattered 
among  them  were  many  wooden  buildings,  which  were 
nothing  less  than  tinder-boxes,  requiring  but  the  slightest 
touch  to  enable  them  to  flare  up  and  carry  destruction  to 
their  neighbors. 


X.— THE  CHICAGO  CONFLAGRATION. 

The  burning  of  Chicago  probably  began  with  the  over- 
turning of  a lamp  in  an  obscure  stable.  A combination  of 
circumstances  helped  on  the  subsequent  horrors.  There 
had  been  a baking  of  earth,  trees,  and  dwellings  in  the  dry 
air  of  a rainless  autumn,  until  everything  had  been  cooked 
to  a crisp  igniting  point.  There  was  a fire  department, 
wearied  with  the  labor  of  subduing  a conflagration  which, 
twenty  hours  before,  had  been  thrown  out  as  a skirmish 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


55 


line  for  the  mighty  hosts  of  flame  that  were  to  follow. 
Worse  than  all,  a driying  gale  of  wind  was  surging  up  from 
the*  southwest, — a gale  so  violent  as  to  threaten  disastrous 
hurricane,  and  to  whip  the  waters  of  the  lake  into  the  white 
frenzy  of  a storm. 

Against  this  combination  of  evils  there  was  no  force  at 
hand  strong  enough  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the  sheds, 
dilapidated  houses,  and  shaky  structures  that  comprised 
the  “built  up”  portion  of  the  city.  That  the  fire  must  sweep 
away  all  the  many  wooden  buildings  in  that  quarter  of  the 
town  was  obvious  from  the  outset ; but  everybody  supposed 
that  the  fire  department  could  easily  control  the  flames, 
after  they  had  exhausted  their  strength  on  that  class  of 
structures.  The  drenchings  of  the  engines,  however, 
availed  nothing  toward  checking  the  progress  of  destruc- 
tion. The  flames  certainly  were  taking  to  themselves 
mightier  proportions.  In  less  than  one  hour  the  flames  had 
seized  upon  the  planing-mills,  furniture  shops,  and  other 
manufactories,  situated  a little  west  of  the  river.  From 
them  it  was  only  a vigorous  stride  to  the  elevators  in  that 
neighborhood,  and  before  midnight  the  flames  had  destroyed 
more  in  value  than  had  ever  before  been  sacrificed  in  the 
history  of  the  city.  The  conflagration  now  hung  upon  the 
verge  of  the  last  night’s  work  of  ruin,  and  all  hoped  that 
here  it  would  rest.  Beyond  the  open  space  of  the 
old  burnt  area  was  the  river,  and  beyond  that  were  the 
proud  edifices  of  the  business  heart  of  Chicago.  Here  all 
thought  the  fire-wraith  would  bow  to  circumstances  too 
powerful  for  its  fury. 

But  this  was  not  to  be.  Hardly  pausing  to  take  breath,  the 
allied  terrors  of  tempest  and  flame  leaped  in  fell  carnival 
over  into  the  South  Division.  From  this  time  onward  there 
is  but  one  sad  story  of  destruction.  Ail  the  grand  blocks 
of  stone  and  marble  crumbled  away  into  dust  at  the  breath 
of  the  destroyer.  Palaces  of  trade,  hotels,  halls,  theatres 
and  churches  alike  swelled  the  volume  of  flame  that 


56 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


seemed  to  reach  the  sky.  It  not  only  traveled  almost  as 
fast  as  a man  can  walk,  but  it  leaped  whole  blocks,  and 
sent  its  emissaries  before  it,  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  in 
the  shape  of  sparks  and  burning  embers.  Following  in  its 
track,  or  rather  giving  way  to  its  encroachments,  the  first 
great  pang  of  sorrow  came  to  the  despairing  spectators 
when  the  flames  stormed  up  to  the  Pacific  Hotel.  This 
superb  edifice  occupied  the  whole  block  in  which  it  was 
situated,  and  had  just  been  erected  at  immense  cost,  some 
of  the  heaviest  railway  lines  centering  in  the  city  furnish- 
ing a large  proportion  of  the  means.  The  building  had 
just  received  its  roof,  and,  by  its  imposing  dimensions  and 
fine  architecture,  was  one  of  the  chief  ornaments  of  the 
doomed  city. 

The  intense  heat  was  now  continually  creating  new  wind 
centres,  by  the  rarefaction  of  the  air ; so  that  although  the 
main  course  of  the  tempest  was  still  toward  the  northeast, 
whirlwinds  of  fire  were  formed,  which  gave  the  conflagra- 
tion abundant  opportunities  of  beating  up  against  the  gale. 
Thus  it  was,  that  almost  at  the  same  time  the  Pacific  Hotel 
was  consuming,  the  vast  railway  depot  of  the  Michigan 
Southern  road  was  burned.  This  was  (with  a single  ex- 
ception) the  finest  structure  devoted  to  railway  purposes  on 
this  continent.  It  was  built  of  Athens  marble  and  extended 
along  several  blocks.  The  massive  passenger  depot  toppled 
into  ruin  ; but  the  long  brick  freight-house  saved  everything 
east  from  them  to  the  lake.  For  some  time  it  was  thought 
that  the  elegant  buildings  near  and  including  the  Honore 
Blocks,  Palmer  and  Bigelow  Houses,  and  the  Academy  of 
Design,  would  escape.  But  the  flames  swept  through  the 
depot,  and  flung  a shower  of  brands  over  De  Haven  Block, 
upon  the  roof  of  the  Bigelow  House,  and  the  flames  spread 
thence  with  new  rapidity  and  fierceness,  enveloping  the 
Honore  Buildings  and  the  Palmer  House  with  its  eight 
lofty  stories,  and  sweeping  down  churches,  business  blocks 
and  palatial  residences  in  one  avalanch  of  fire.  Gun-pow- 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


57 


der  was  called  into  requisition,  and  the  most  substantial 
and  ornate  trade  palaces  were  hurled  into  the  air;  but 
human  agency  was  now  of  little  avail,  and  one  by  one  the 
old  landmarks  of  Chicago  passed  out  of  existence. 


XL— THE  STORY  OF  THE  FIRE— (Continued). 

It  was  about  four  o’clock  in  the  morning  when  the  an- 
nouncement was  made  that  the  flames  had  crossed  into  the 
North  Division.  Then  the  terrible  tidings  were  whispered 
that  the  Water  Works  were  in  ruins,  and  that  the  only  friend 
man  had  found  among  the  elements  was  taken  from  him  in 
this  his  hour  of  necessity. 

Upon  Wabash  and  Michigan  Avenues  was  now  to  be 
witnessed  the  frenzied  stampede  of  thousands,  breaking  in 
mad  haste  to  escape  from  the  heat  and  from  the  sight  of 
the  horrible  scenes  which  had  grown  so  familiar.  Some 
were  on  foot,  staggering  along  under  the  weight  of  rich 
packs,  and  tugging  at  the  hands  of  halting  relatives. 
Others  were  piled  with  stock  from  their  stores,  furniture, 
wives,  and  children,  into  vehicles  of  every  conceivable 
class,  many  of  which  had  been  hired  at  fabulous  prices. 
The  streets  were  almost  totally  impassable,  and  so  frantic 
was  the  struggle  of  teams  and  pedestrians,  that  there  were 
often  complete  dead-locks,  during  which  not  the  least 
progress  was  made  by  any  one.  Old  men  were  thrown 
down  and  trampled  upon ; children  were  lost  from  their 
parents ; and  the  parents  were,  in  many  cases,  parted  from 
each  other  never  to  meet  again. 

3* 


58 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


All  this  time  the  fire  was  leaving  behind,  in  fantastic 
mould,  the  hot  evidences  of  its  withering  strength.  Al- 
though the  destruction  proper  did  not  commence  until 
shortly  before  six  o’clock  in  the  North  Division,  the  work 
of  ruin  in  that  section  of  the  city  ante-dated  this  time,  in 
that  a part  of  Dill’s  Brewery  and  the  Water  Works  were 
consumed  between  four  and  five  o’clock.  At  about  six 
o’clock  the  flames  passed  over  the  river,  via  the  Bush  street 
bridge,  and  rushed  upon  the  Galena  Elevator,  which  was 
soon  enveloped  in  fire.  The  lighter  structures  with  which 
this  Division  abounded,  gave  the  hideous  legions  a glorious 
opportunity  of  keeping  their  lurid  ranks  unshaken,  and 
the  wall  of  fire  never  presented  an  opening  until  the 
wooded  confines  of  the  extreme  north  of  the  Division  were 
attained.  It  was  a phalanx  of  fire,  extending  as  far  as  eye 
could  reach  to  the  east  and  west,  and  to  those  who  were 
fleeing  before  it,  possessed  a certain  terrible  grandeur  that 
was  not  to  be  observed  in  the  detached  work  of  devasta- 
tion in  the  West  or  South  Divisions.  Behind  it  none  could 
see,  and  as  to  what  might  be  its  solid  thickness,  the  stricken 
ones  had  no  means  of  determining.  To  them  it  appeared 
as  if  the  world  itself  must  be  on  fire,  and  that  the  flames 
were  swiftly  following  the  course  around  the  entire  globe. 

By  night-fall  of  Monday,  a great  number  of  refugees  had 
collected  in  the  cemetery  at  the  south  end  of  Lincoln 
Park,  and  many  had  endeavored  to  dispose  themselves  as 
comfortably  as  possible  until  the  light  of  another  morning 
should  enable  them  to  make  their  final  escape.  But  the 
fire-wraith  hesitated  not  at  the  pollution  of  the  quiet 
homes  of  the  dead,  and  was  soon  curling  the  leaves  and 
snapping  the  brush  at  the  cemetery’s  entrance.  Another 
stampede  was  all  that  was  left  to  the  heart-sick  multitude 
of  living  ones  who  had  vainly  sought  to  catch  a few  hours 
of  fitful  -rest  upon  the  graves  of  the  sleepers  below,  whom 
even  this  tyrant  conflagration  could  not  disturb.  Out  from 
the  cemetery  swarmed  the  stricken  ones,  and  into  the  park, 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


59 


from  which  they  were  again  routed  by  the  untiring  pursuit 
of  the  wind  and  the  flames.  The  only  rest  was  upon  the 
chilly  margin  of  the  lake  and  the  bleak  wilderness  of  the 
open  prairies.  The  edge  of  the  lake  was  lined  with  its 
dreary  quota  of  those  who,  twenty-four  hours  before,  had  gone 
to  rest  in  happy  homes  at  the  close  of  a Sabbath  differing 
to  them  from  no  other  Sabbath  which  had  preceded  it,  but 
which  was  the  dividing  line  between  prosperity  and  utter 
ruin. 

The  fire,  after  ploughing  away  every  vestige  of  the  North 
Division,  ceased  not  in  its  work  of  ruin  until  Fullerton 
Avenue,  the  extreme  northern  limit  of  the  city,  was 
attained.  Here,  with  nothing  further  upon  which  it  could 
riot,  it  at  last  died  away  in  the  second  night  of  its  carouse ; 
and  just  as  the  long-prayed-for  rain  came  pattering  coolly 
down,  the  Chicago  fire  passed  into  history. 


XII.— CHICAGO. 

Men  said  at  vespers : “ All  is  well !” 

In  one  wild  niglit  the  city  fell ; 

Fell  shrines  of  prayer  and  marts  of  grain 
Before  the  fiery  hurricane. 

On  three  score  spires  had  sunset  shone, 
Where  ghastly  sunrise  looked  on  none. 
Men  clasped  each  other’s  hands  and  said : 
“ The  City  of  the  West  is  dead  ! ” 

Brave  hearts  who  fought,  in  slow  retreat. 
The  fiends  of  fire  from  street  to  street, 
Turned,  powerless,  to  the  blinding  glare, 
The  dumb  defiance  of  despair. 


60 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


A sudden  impulse  thrilled  each  wire 
That  signaled  round  the  sea  of  fire ; 

Swift  words  of  cheer,  warm  heart-throbs  came, 
In  tears  of  pity  died  the  flame ! 

From  East,  from  West,  from  South  and  North, 
The  messages  of  hope  shot  forth, 

And,  underneath  the  severing  wave, 

The  world,  full-handed,  reached  to  save. 

Fair  seemed  the  old ; but  fairer  still 
The  new,  the  dreary  void  shall  fill 
With  dearer  homes  than  those  o’erthrown, 

For  love  shall  lay  each  corner-stone. 

Rise,  stricken  city  ! — from  thee  throw 
The  ashen  sackcloth  of  thy  woe ; 

And  build,  as  to  Amphion’s  strain, 

To  songs  of  cheer  thy  walls  again  ! 

How  shriveled  in  thy  hot  distress 
The  primal  sin  of  selfishness  ! 

How  instant  rose,  to  take  thy  part, 

The  angel  in  the  human  heart  I 

Ah  ! not  in  vain  the  flames  that  tossed 
Above  thy  dreadful  holocaust ; 

The  Christ  again  has  preached  through  thee 
The  Gospel  of  Humanity ! 

Then  lift  once  more  thy  towers  on  high  ! 

And  fret  with  spires  the  Western  sky. 

To  tell  that  God  is  yet  with  us, 

And  love  is  still  miraculous  ! 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


61 


XIII. — DISINTOMBED  POMPEII. 

This  lovely  city  was  entirely  destroyed  by  an  eruption  of 
Mount  Vesuvius  in  the  year  79  A.  D.,  which  suddenly 
buried  the  whole  place  in  a storm  of  volcanic  cinders  and 
ashes.  It  was  not  until  1748,  when  a peasant,  in  sinking  a 
well,  discovered  a painted  chamber  containing  statues  and 
other  objects  of  antiquity,  that  anything  like  a real  interest 
in  the  locality  was  excited.  In  1755  the  amphitheatre  was 
cleared  out,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  the  works 
have  gone  on,  with  more  or  less  activity,  sometimes  aban- 
doned for  several  years  together,  and  sometimes  resumed 
for  a few  months;  so  that  not  more  than  half  of  the  an- 
cient city  has  yet  been  uncovered.  The  number  of  skele- 
tons hitherto  discovered  has  not  been  considerable,  consid- 
ering the  population,  a fact  which  would  prove  that  the 
inhabitants  succeeded  in  escaping. 

In  some  instances  the  houses  have  since  been  found  dis- 
turbed, and  it  is  supposed  from  this  that  many  of  the  citizens 
revisited  the  site  and  removed  such  property  as  could  be 
easily  reached.  The  walls  of  the  city  have  been  traced 
throughout  their  whole  extent.  They  are  about  two  miles 
in  circuit.  The  amphitheater  is  more  ancient  than  the 
Coliseum  of  Eome,  which  was  not  opened  till  the  year  after 
the  destruction  of  Pompeii.  The  masonry  is  of  rough  work ; 
the  marble  plates  must  have  been  removed  after  the  erup- 
tion, and  nothing  of  a decorative  kind  is  now  visible  except 
a few  sculptured  keystones.  The  interior  contained  twenty- 
four  rows  of  seats,  separated  into  different  ranges,  according 
to  the  rank  of  the  occupants.  The  entrances  at  each  end 
of  the  arena,  for  the  admission  of  gladiators  and  wild  beasts, 
and  the  removal  of  the  dead,  are  still  perfect.  It  is  said  that 


62 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


at  the  time  of  the  eruption  the  citizens  were  assembled  here 
to  witness  the  games. 

The  temple  of  Augusta  is  a small  Corinthian  temple,  and 
was  discovered  in  1823.  The  steps  in  front  are  broken  by 
a low  wall,  supporting  an  altar,  which  was  formerly  pro- 
tected by  an  iron  railing.  The  portico  had  four  marble 
columns  in  front  and  two  at  the  sides,  but  they  were 
destroyed  by  the  eruption.  Several  statues  have  been  found 
here.  The  entrance  to  the  Civil  Forum  was  under  a tri- 
umphal arch  built  of  brick  and  lava,  covered  with  slabs  of 
marble,  and  still  retaining  its  massive  piers,  each  decorated 
with  two  fluted  Corinthian  columns,  with  square  niches 
between  them,  which  are  supposed  to  have  contained 
statues  and  fountains.  Large  stones  were  placed  across  the 
street,  showing  how  the  approaches  to  the  Forum  were 
closed  to  wheeled  vehicles. 

The  Forum  contained  the  principal  temples,  tribunals, 
and  other  public  buildings  of  the  ancient  city.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  spacious  and  imposing  spots  in  Pompeii,  occupy- 
ing the  most  elevated  point  of  the  city,  most  of  the  streets 
that  lead  to  it  ascending  from  the  gates.  It  is  surrounded 
on  three  sides  by  columns  of  grayish-white  limestone, 
twelve  feet  high.  Above  this  colonnade  there  appears,  from 
the  traces  of  stairs,  to  have  been  a terrace.  The  entire  area 
is  paved  with  slabs  of  limestone.  In  front  of  the  columns 
are  pedestals  for  large  statues. 

Among  the  ruins  an  immense  number  of  utensils  have 
been  found,  consisting  of  vases,  basins,  bells,  ear-rings, 
spoons,  caldrons,  sauce-pans,  and  lamps.  Besides  these,  im- 
plements both  warlike  and  industrial  have  been  disinterred. 
But  the  relics  most  calculated  to  interest  our  feelings  are 
the  remains  of  human  beings  who  perished  in  the  great 
catastrophe.  In  the  vaults  of  a house  in  the  suburbs  were 
found  the  skeletons  of  seventeen  persons  who  sought  in  vain 
an  asylum.  Casts  have  been  taken  of  the  spaces,  flowed 
about  with  lava,  once  occupied  by  these  bodies ; and  they 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


63 


present  strange  and  ghastly  resemblances  to  the  human 
form  in  various  positions.  In  all,  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  are 
among  the  most  interesting  relics  that  we  possess  of  an- 
tiquity. 


XIV.— POMPEII. 

Pompeii ! disentombed  Pompeii  ! Here 
Before  me  in  her  pall  of  ashes  spread — 

Wrenched  from  the  gulf  of  ages — She  whose  bier 
Was  the  unboweled  mountain,  lifts  her  head. 

Sad  but  not  silent ! Thrilling  in  my  ear 
She  tells  her  tale  of  horror,  till  the  dread 
And  sudden  drama  mustering  through  the  air, 

Seems  to  rehearse  the  day  of  her  despair  ! 

Joyful  she  feasted  ’neath  her  olive  tree, 

Then  rose  to  “ dance  and  play;”  and  if  a cloud 
O’ershadowed  her  thronged  circus,  who  could  see 
The  impending  deluge  brooding  in  its  shroud  ? 

On  went  the  games  ! mirth  and  festivity 

Increased — prevailed ; till  rendingly  and  loud 
The  earth  and  sky  with  consentaneous  roar 
Denounced  her  doom — that  time  should  be  no  more. 

Shook  to  its  centre,  the  convulsive  soil 

Closed  round  the  flying;  Sarno’s  tortured  tide 
O’erleaped  its  channel — eager  for  its  spoil ! 

Thick  darkness  fell,  and,  wasting  fast  and  wide. 
Wrath  opened  her  dread  floodgates  ! Brief  the  toil 
And  terror  of  resistance ; art  supplied 
No  subterfuge  ! The  pillared  crypt  and  cave 
That  proffered  shelter,  proved  a living  grave  I 


64: 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Within  the  circus,  tribunal,  and  shrine, 

Shrieking  they  perished ; there  the  usurer  sank 
Grasping  his  gold ; the  bacchant  at  his  wine ; 

The  gambler  at  his  dice  ! age,  grade,  nor  rank, 

Nor  all  they  loved,  revered,  or  deemed  divine, 

Found  help  or  rescue ; unredeemed  they  drank 
Their  cup  of  horror  to  the  dregs,  and  fell 
With  Heaven’s  avenging  thunders  for  their  knell. 

Their  city  a vast  sepulchre — their  hearth 
A charnel-house  ! the  beautiful  and  brave, 

Whose  high  achievements  or  whose  charms  gave  birth 
To  songs  and  civic  wreath,  unheeded  crave 
A pause  ’twixt  life  and  death  ; no  hand  on  earth, 

No  voice  from  heaven,  replied  to  close  the  grave 
Yawning  around  them.  Still  the  burning  shower 
Rained  down  upon  them  with  unslackening  power. 

’Tis  an  old  tale  ! Yet  gazing  thus,  it  seems 
But  yesterday  the  circling  wine-cup  went 
Its  joyous  round  ! Here  still  the  pilgrim  deems 
New  guests  arrive — the  reveler  sits  intent 
At  his  carousal,  quaffing  to  the  themes 
Of  Thracian  Orpheus  ; lo,  the  cups  indent 
The  conscious  marble,  and  the  amphorae  still 
Seem  redolent  of  old  Falerno’s  hill ! 

It  seems  but  yesterday  ! Half  sculptured  there. 

On  the  paved  Forum  wedged,  the  marble  shaft 
Waits  but  the  workman  to  resume  his  care. 

And  reed  it  by  the  cunning  of  his  craft. 

The  chips,  struck  from  his  chisel,  fresh  and  fair, 

Lie  scattered  round ; the  acanthus  leaves  in  graft. 
The  half-wrought  capital ; and  Isis’  shrine 
Retains  untouched  her  implements  divine. 

The  streets  are  hollowed  by  the  rolling  car 
In  sinuous  furrows ; there  the  lava  stone 
Retains,  deep  grooved,  the  frequent  axle’s  scar, 

Here  oft  the  pageant  passed,  and  triumph  shone, 

Here  warriors  bore  the  glittering  spoils  of  war, 

And  met  the  full  fair  city  smiling  on 
With  wreath  and  poean  ! — gay  as  those  who  drink 
The  draught  of  pleasure  on  destruction’s  brink. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


65 


The  frescoed  wall,  the  rich  mosaic  floor. 

Elaborate,  fresh,  and  garlanded  with  flowers 
Of  ancient  fable  ; — crypt,  and  lintelled  door 

Writ  with  the  name  of  their  last  tenant — towers 
That  still  in  strength  aspire,  as  when  they  bore 

Their  Roman  standard — from  the  whelming  showers 
That  formed  their  grave— return  like  spectres  risen. 

To  solve  the  mysteries  of  their  fearful  prison  ! 


XV.— A VISIT  TO  MAMMOTH  GAVE. 

Our  party,  after  leaving  the  coach  and  registering  their 
names,  were  requested  to  get  ready  for  the  cave.  In  the 
course  of  twenty  minutes  or  a half-hour,  the  lady  from 
Baltimore  came  forth  in  bloomer,  leaning  on  the  arm  of 
her  husband;  and  the  guides,  with  their  peculiar  lamps, 
appeared  and  took  charge  of  the  party.  Passing  out 
through  the  back  garden  of  the  hotel,  we  came  to  a stile 
from  which  the  path  leads  down  into  a wooded  ravine  ter- 
minating at  Green  River.  We  came  suddenly  upon  the 
mouth  of  the  cave, — a dark  archway  cut  out  of  the  lime- 
stone at  the  bottom  of  a natural  shaft.  Vegetation  flour- 
ishes in  all  manner  of  trailing  vines  about  the  entrance. 
A few  lichens  wander  a little  way  in  with  the  light,  and 
then  all  vegetable  life  abruptly  ceases.  The  old  entrance  is 
further  down  the  ravine,  near  the  Green  river,  where  the 
cave  may  still  be  entered  and  explored  as  far  as  the  breach 
forming  the  present  mouth.  At  the  old  entrance,  no 
descent  is  required ; one  walks  into  the  cave  on  a horizon- 
tal line,  as  into  any  artificial  tunnel. 


66 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


The  good-natured  Garvin,  the  colored  guide,  lighted  the 
lamps  and  handed  one  to  each  of  us,  and  taking  up  his 
own  with  a bundle  of  paper  saturated  in  kerosene,  he  called 
out  in  a grave  military  voice  “ Forward,”  warning  us  at  the 
same  time  to  keep  our  lamps  before  us,  for  the  cave  was 
“ breathing  in.”  The  cave  exhales  or  inhales  as  the  tem- 
perature of  the  outside  is  above  or  below  a uniform  stand- 
ard. At  the  mouth,  and  for  a little  distance  into  the  dark- 
ness, we  could  feel  the  chill  of  the  cold  air  coming  in  from 
the  damp  ravine.  We  held  our  lamps  before  us  to  keep 
them  from,  blowing  out.  Coming  out  in  the  afternoon,  the 
current  was  going  just  in  the  opposite  direction.  This 
phenomenon  is  called  “ the  breathing  of  the  cave.”  It  was 
not  long  before  we  got  beyond  the  effect  of  this  current, 
and  found  the  dry,  still  air  of  the  rocky  chambers  and  ave- 
nues very  pleasant.  The  guides,  who  spend  most  of  their 
waking  hours  in  these  silent  depths,  wear  flannel  clothes  of 
equal  thickness  summer  and  winter. 

Not  far  from  the  entrance  we  came  to  “The  Rotunda.” 
It  is  a large  cavern,  over  seventy-five  feet  high  and  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet  across  being,  as  the  guide  informed  us, 
directly  under  the  dining-room  of  the  hotel  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  main  cave. 

Besides  the  bats,  and  the  well-known  eyeless  fish  and 
craw-fish  of  the  subterranean  rivers,  the  only  living  things, 
I believe,  yet  found  in  this  mysterious  region  are  some 
large,  sluggish  crickets  which  do  not  chirrup ; a few  liz- 
zards  with  great  prominent  eyes  like  the  crickets,  and  like 
them,  also,  slow  in  their  movements ; and  some  light-gray 
rats,  with  head  and  eyes  somewhat  resembling  those  of  the 
rabbit,  but  they  are  much  larger  than  their  cheese-loving 
kindred  of  the  upper  world,  though  equally  shy.  We  saw 
traces  of  these  last  wherever  we  sought  for  them,  miles 
from  the  entrance  of  the  cave.  They,  however,  kept  well 
out  of  sight,  much  to  the  relief  of  the  lady  irom  Baltimore. 

Leaving  the  “Rotunda”  we  took  our  way  through  a 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


67 


winding  avenue  to  the  next  grand  chamber  in  the  rock. 
This  is  called  the  “ Kentucky  Cliffs,”  from  the  resem- 
blance which  is  traced  between  the  rough,  beetling  crags 
here  to  the  cliffs  on  the  Kentucky  River.  Passing  by 
the  cluster  of  holes  in  one  of  the  walls,  called  “The  Pigeon 
Boxes,”  we  came  to  “ The  Church,”  a vast,  irregular  room, 
with  a Gothic  roof.  A solid  stone  projection  in  the  shape 
of  a platform,  about  three  feet  above  the  main  floor,  forms 
“ The  Pulpit.”  Here  divine  services  have  been  held.  An 
elevated  gallery,  rude  but  unmistakable,  extends  around  a 
part  of  this  chamber.  Further  along  we  ascended  some 
wooden  steps,  and  having  gone  but  a little  way,  the  military 
Garvin  ordered  us  to  halt.  Then  he  disappeared,  and  the 
next  we  saw  of  him  he  was  standing  on  a projecting  crag, 
with  a great  threatening  shadow  behind  him  on  the  wall, 
mocking  every  motion  he  made.  Several  avenues  lead  from 
the  “ Rotunda,”  as  from  most  of  the  other  large  chambers. 
There  are  said  to  be  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  avenues 
in  the  entire  cave  which  have  been  explored.  The  total 
length  of  these  is  estimated  at  one  hundred  miles.  The 
real  extent  of  the  cave  is  much  greater  than  this,  for  there 
are  hundreds  of  avenues  which  have  not  even  been  entered, 
and  many  of  which  are  reasonably  thought  to  be  as  exten- 
sive as  any  hitherto  explored. 

From  the  “Rotunda”  the  guide  led  through  “Audubon’s 
Avenue”  to  “The  Great  Bat  Room.”  Here  countless  thou- 
sands of  bats  cling  to  the  walls  and  ceiling.  They  have 
taken  full  possession  of  this  particular  cavern.  They  nes- 
tle together  like  huge  swarms  of  bees,  in  bunches  of  many 
bushels.  The  guide  does  not  know  what  they  feed  upon, 
or  how  long  they  stay  there  dozing  away.  Few  are  ever 
seen  outside  the  cave  at  once. 

My  memory  is  hopelessly  lost  in  these  vast  labyrinths.  I 
cannot  recall  half  that  we  saw  or  the  order  in  which  the 
wonders  were  shown  us.  The  next  halt  of  the  guide  which 
I recollect  was  in  a great  irregular  room  in  the  middle  of 


68 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE . 


which  rests  an  immense  rock  in  the  exact  shape  of  a sar- 
cophagus. This  is  called  “ The  Giant’s  Coffin/’  and  nowhere 
else  in  this  dark  realm  is  a name  as  appropriately  chosen. 
While  we  were  marveling  at  the  perfect  resemblance, 
Garvin  had  stolen  from  us  and  mounted  the  coffin.  Light- 
ing a roll  of  his  saturated  paper,  he  stood  with  the  gigantic 
shadow  on  the  dark  wall  above  him  and  the  white  sar- 
cophagus beneath  his  feet. 

Our  guide  led  on,  through  more  avenues  and  halls  than 
I shall  try  to  remember,  right  into  the  “ Scotchman’s 
Trap.”  This  is  a great  flat  stone  which  inclines  across  the 
way,  almost  shutting  it  up.  It  must  have  fallen  ages  ago, 
but  if  it  had  not  been  caught  and  held  just  where  it  is,  it 
would  have  closed  the  rivers  and  many  of  the  glories  of  the 
cave  from  human  sight.  From  here  we  went  on  through 
the  “ Yalley  of  Humility,”  stooping  very  low  till  we  came 
to  “ Fat  Man’s  Misery.”  This  is  a narrow,  winding  path, 
worn  evidently  by  water.  In  width  and  depth  it  is  won- 
derfully uniform  for  the  length  of  one  hundred  and  five 
yards,  running  right  through  the  solid  rock.  It  is  between 
three  and  four  feet  deep,  and  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
inches  wide.  The  champion  fat  man,  the  largest  one  ever 
known  to  pass  here,  is  said  to  have  weighed  two  hundred 
and  sixty  pounds.  Considering  the  trouble  of  the  stout 
Englishman  of  our  party,  we  are  led  to  suppose  this  his- 
toric gentleman  must  have  had  a hard  time  of  it.  Then  he 
had  to  go  back  the  same  way,  just  as  we  did. 

At  the  end  of  “ Fat  Man’s  Misery”  there  is  a large  room 
very  happily  called  “ Great  Relief.”  Passing  under  the 
three  large  “ Odd  Fellows’  Links”  stretched  fantastically  in 
the  rock  across  the  ceiling,  we  came  to  the  “ River  Hall  ” 
and  the  “ Dead  Sea.”  The  latter  was  to  us  the  most  im- 
pressive scene  in  the  cave.  Down  to  one  side  went  the 
road  which  in  the  season  leads  to  the  “Styx”  and  “Echo” 
rivers.  We  could  see  the  ruined  steps  that,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  guide,  had  been  “ washed  up.”  TheSriver  had 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEKEOSCOPE. 


69 


risen  till  its  waters  reached  those  of  the  “ Dead  Sea.”  A 
gloomy,  sullen  sort  of  thnd  came  hack  to  us  as  we  threw 
stones  oyer  into  the  depths.  Far  away  in  the  darkness 
below  we  could  hear  the  soughing  of  the  water  in  the 
swollen  stream.  It  added  to  the  impressiveness  of  the 
scene,  I think,  to  know  that  we  could  go  no  farther,— that 
the  mysterious  forces  which  hold  these  regions  of  eternal 
night  had  risen  up  to  bar  our  way. 

Leaving  “River  Hall,”  we  took  a side  avenue,  and  fol- 
lowing it  three-quarters  of  a mile,  we  came  to  the  “ Mam- 
moth Dome.”  This  is  considered  one  of  the  principal  won- 
ders of  the  cave,  but  owing  to  the  difficulty  and  danger 
which  we  encountered  in  clambering  to  it,  it  has  not  left  a 
very  pleasing  effect  on  our  minds.  To  one  visiting  it  when 
the  crags  over  which  he  clambers  are  dry,  it  must  be  a mag- 
nificent sight.  Think  of  a natural  underground  cathedral 
two  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high ! There  were  only  two  of  us  besides  the  guide 
who  were  foolish  enough  to  risk  life  and  limb  by  climbing 
the  slippery  rocks  over  the  precipice  leading  to  it.  The 
Englishman  went  up,  and  national  pride  took  your  present 
chronicler  after  him ; but  he  would  not  attempt  it  again  for 
ten  times  that  inducement.  It  is  consoling  to  think  that 
the  Briton  was  about  as  badly  scared  as  any  one. 

All  muddy  and  wet,  we  escaped  back  into  the  dry  avenues 
of  the  cave,  and  retraced  our  steps  for  two  or  three  miles, 
perhaps,  till  we  turned  into  the  path  leading  to  the  “Star 
Chamber.”  This  is  a vast  avenue  running  through  the 
rock.  The  concave  ceiling  is  covered  with  a dark  incrusta- 
tion of  iron  and  manganese,  says  the  guide-book,  inter- 
spersed with  shining  crystals  of  gypsum,  giving  the  whole, 
in  the  dim  light  of  our  lamps,  a striking  resemblance  to 
the  starry  sky.  Here  the  guide  took  our  lamps  away  from  * 
us  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness.  We  had  time  to  think 
of  the  stories  of  people  who  had  been  lost  in  the  cave  and 
had  been  found  raving  mad  shortly  afterward,  before  a dim 


70 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


light  began  to  steal  oyer  the  miniature  sky  oyer  our  heads. 
Then  the  guide  gaye  a very  fair  imitation  of  cock-crowing, 
and  treated  us  to  all  manner  of  illusions  more  or  less  won- 
derful, beginning  with  dawn,  taking  us  through  a thunder 
storm  to  clear  starlight,  and  ending  with  the  uncertain 
twilight  made  by  the  reappearing  of  the  lights  in  our 
midst.  These  effects  are  produced,  of  course,  by  manipu- 
lating the  light  through  the  aperture  leading  into  the 
chamber. 

It  was  on  our  return  journey,  I think,  that  we  passed 
through  the  “ Ball  Room,”  where  in  the  summer  time  the 
Hotel  Band  occasionally  plays,  and  where  the  dance  must 
become  exceeding  mazy  in  underground  “ hops.”  On  our 
way  out  we  stopped  at  one  of  the  little  stone  houses  built 
oyer  a quarter  of  a century  ago  by  a number  of  consump- 
tives, who  some  way  got  the  idea  that  the  atmosphere  of 
the  cave  would  cure  their  disease.  Several  died  in  the  cave, 
and  the  rest  went  outside  to  die.  Some  of  them  are  said  to 
have  lived  five  months  at  a time  in  the  dark.  The  story  of 
the  poor  fellow  who  died  while  his  servant  had  gone  for 
assistance,  and  of  the  terrified  expression  on  his  face  when 
found,  is  only  a little  more  ghastly  to  think  of  than  the 
business  and  other  cards  which  are  now  stuck  up  ten  deep 
on  the  walls  that  heard  his  last  faint  cry  for  help. 

Going  forth  from  the  cave,  one  becomes  strangely  sensi- 
tive to  the  odors  of  vegetation,  but  what  struck  us  most 
was  the  relaxing  effect  of  the  sunshine.  This,  however,  was 
of  short  duration,  and  none  of  our  party  complained  of  the 
fatigue  of  the  nine  mile  journey  under  the  earth.  Mr. 
Graves’s  dinner,  at  which  we  soon  all  assembled,  was  some- 
thing memorable  in  its  way.  Graves  himself  stood  by  and 
watched  us  at  our  meal,  and  when  our  overburdened  souls 
broke  forth  in  praise,  he  afforded  us  the  spectacle  of  six  and 
a half  feet  of  stout  human  joy.  Indeed  such  a degree  of 
hilarity  and  mutual  confidence  was  established  between  our- 
selves and  our  honest  host  that  we  did  not  look  kindly  on 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


71 


the  stage  coach  which  was  to  take  lis  back  to  Cave  City. 
The  red-faced  driver  had  performed  two  or  three  different 
Kentucky  break-downs  upon  the  porch,  and  had  mounted 
his  box  and  cracked  his  whip  impatiently  several  times 
before  we  bade  adieu  to  the  Cave  Hotel  and  were  whirled 
away  again  over  the  wooded  hills. 


XVI.— SCENES  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND. 

The  well  of  Jacob  is  situated  near  the  ancient  town  of 
Shechem,  afterwards  the  Roman  Neapolis,  and  now  called 
Nabulus.  Here  the  Saviour  rested  at  noon-day,  wearied 
with  the  long  journey  from  Jerusalem.  There  is  little  to 
be  seen  at  the  well ; and  the  traveler  may  either  satisfy  his 
curiosity  by  a passing  look,  or  he  may  return,  in  the  still 
evening  or  quiet  morning,  and  read  the  strange  story  of 
that  interview  between  our  Lord  and  the  Samaritan  woman. 
The  well  is  situated  in  a valley,  not  far  from  the  village. 
Formerly  there  was  a hole  opening  into  a vaulted  chamber, 
about  ten  feet  square,  in  the  floor  of  which  was  the  mouth 
of  the  true  well.  The  well  is  deep — seventy-five  feet  when 
last  measured — and  there  is  a considerable  accumulation  of 
rubbish  at  the  bottom.  Sometimes  it  contains  a few  feet  of 
water,  but  at  others  is  quite  dry. 

The  situation  of  the  City  of  Samaria,  if  less  beautiful,  is 
more  commanding  than  that  of  Shechem.  In  the  centre  of 
a basin  rises  an  oval-shaped  hill,  on  one  side  of  which  is 
built  a modern  village  on  the  site  of  Old  Samaria.  The 


72 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


houses  are  substantially  built  of  old  materials,  and  in  their 
under  walls  may  be  seen  many  a remnant  of  ancient  taste 
and  splendor.  The  first  object  we  see  on  entering  the  vil- 
lage is  the  Church  of  St.  John,  perched  on  the  brow  of  an 
eastern  declivity.  It  is,  on  the  whole,  one  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque ruins  in  Palestine,  and  attracts  the  traveler’s  at- 
tention long  before  he  reaches  it.  It  is  now  a mosque,  and, 
as  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  are  secure  and  isolated, 
they  are  always  unwilling  to  let  travelers  enter,  and  some- 
times prevent  them  by  force.  The  entrance  to  the  build- 
ing is  from  a narrow,  sunken  court  on  the  west,  through  a 
low  door.  The  roof  is  gone,  but  the  walls  remain  entire  to 
a considerable  height,  and  the  eastern  end  is  almost  perfect. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  Church,  as  it  now  stands, 
is  of  the  time  of  the  Crusaders.  In  the  Church  is  the 
reputed  sepulchre  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  It  is  a grotto,  to 
which  there  is  a descent  of  twenty-two  steps.  Aside  from 
the  Church,  the  modern  village  contains  little  of  interest  to 
the  traveler  or  the  student. 

Almost  every  spot  along  the  shores  of  the  “Sea  of 
Galilee  ” is  holy  ground.  A great  part  of  our  Lord’s  public 
life  was  spent  here.  After  his  townsmen  at  Nazareth  had 
ejected  and  sought  to  kill  him,  he  came  down  from  the  hill- 
country  of  Galilee  and  took  up  his  abode  on  the  shores.  But 
the  shores  were  not  then  silent  and  desolate  as  they  are  now. 
They  were  teeming  with.  life.  The  new  capital  of  Galilee 
had  recently  been  built  by  Herod  Antipas.  Many  prosper- 
ous towns,  such  as  Capernaum  and  Bethsaida  and  Chorazin, 
stood  upon  its  beach. 

Prom  the  mouth  of  the  Jordan  to  the  site  of  Chorazin,  the 
ground  rises  from  the  lake  with  a slope  so  gentle  as  scarcely 
to  be  perceptible ; then  the  ascent  becomes  steeper  and  the 
surface  more  rugged,  covered  here  and  there  with  black 
stones  and  projecting  crowns  of  rock.  After  passing 
Chorazin,  the  heights  approach  the  shore,  exposing  at 
intervals  a rich  bank,  with  tangled  thickets  of  thorny 


THE  WOEED  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


73 


plants.  The  modem  village  is  situated  in  a nook  close 
upon  the  shore.  No  site  along  the  shore  is  so  well  adapted 
for  a fishing  town.  Here  is  a bay,  sheltered  by  hills  behind 
and  projecting  bluffs  on  each  side;  and  here  is  a smooth, 
sandy  beach,  such  as  fishermen  delight  in.  In  Bethsaida 
dwelt  the  fishermen,  Peter,  Andrew,  Philip,  James  and  John. 

The  cedars  of  Lebanon  are  mentioned  so  often  in  Scrip- 
ture that  the  phrase  is  familiar  to  all  readers.  We  all  know 
how  the  cedars  were  used  in  the  construction  of  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem.  The  mountains  of  Lebanon  are  not,  in  them- 
selves, of  much  interest.  The  central  ridge  is  smooth  and 
bare ; grand  in  its  vastness,  but  without  beauty.  The  sides 
are  destitute  of  verdure,  and  covered  with  fragments  of 
whitish  limestone.  Here  and  there  is  a stunted  pine.  The 
ascent  is  steep  and  tiresome.  Having  once  gained  the  sum- 
mit, there  is  a good  view  of  the  Mediterranean,  7,500  feet 
below.  The  cedars  are  situated  on  the  mountain  side,  about 
1,000  feet  below  the  top.  At  the  head  of  the  Kadisha  Valley 
there  is  a vast  recess  in  the  central  ridge  of  Lebanon,  some  eight 
miles  in  diameter.  Above  it  rises  the  loftiest  summit  of  Syria, 
streaked  with  perpetual  snow.  In  the  center  of  this  recess 
stand  the  cedars.  They  are  alone.  Not  another  kind  of 
tree  is  in  sight,  and  there  is  scarcely  a brush  or  patch  of 
verdure  on  the  surrounding  declivities.  From  a distance 
the  prospect  of  them  is  rather  disappointing,  as  they  seem 
like  a speck  on  the  vast  mountain.  But  on  entering  the 
grove  such  feeling  disappears.  Then  the  beautiful  fan-like 
branches  and  graceful  pyramidal  forms  of  the  younger  trees ; 
the  huge  trunks  of  the  patriarchs  ; and  the  sombre  shade 
they  make  in  the  midst  of  a blaze  of  light — all  tend  to  ex- 
cite feelings  of  admiration.  This  grove  contains  about  400 
trees,  and  there  are  others  of  about  equal  size  at  different 
parts  of  the  mountains. . 

4 


74 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


XVII. — PALESTINE. 

Blest  land  of  Judea  ! thrice  hallowed  of  song, 

Where  the  holiest  of  memories,  pilgrim-like,  throng. 

In  the  shade  of  thy  palms,  by  the  shores  of  thy  sea. 

On  the  hills  of  thy  beauty — my  heart  is  with  thee. 

With  the  eye  of  a spirit  I look  on  that  shore. 

Where  pilgrim  and  prophet  have  lingered  before; 

With  the  glide  of  a spirit  I traverse  the  sod 
Made  bright  by  the  steps  of  the  angels  of  God. 

Blue  sea  of  the  hills  ! in  my  spirit  I hear 
Thy  waters,  Gennesareth,  chime  on  my  ear ; 

Where  the  Lowly  and  Just  with  the  people  sat  down, 

And  thy  spray  on  the  dust  of  His  sandals  was  thrown, 

Beyond  are  Bethulia’s  mountains  of  green, 

And  the  desolate  hills  of  the  wild  Gadarene  ; 

And  I pause  on  the  goat-crags  of  Tabor  to  see 
The  gleam  of  thy  waters,  O dark  Galilee  ! 

There  sleep  the  still  rocks  and  the  caverns  which  rang 
To  the  song  which  the  beautiful  prophetess  sang, 

When  the  princes  of  Issachar  stood  by  her  side, 

And  the  shout  of  a host  in  its  triumph  replied. 

Lo  ! Bethlehem’s  hill-site  before  me  is  seen, 

With  the  mountains  around  and  the  valleys  between ; 

There  rested  the  shepherds  of  Judah,  and  there 
The  song  of  the  angels  rose  sweet  on  the  air. 

And  Bethany’s  palm-trees  in  beauty  still  throw 
Their  shadows  at  noon  on. the  ruins  below ; 

But  where  are  the  sisters  who  hastened  to  greet 
The  lowly  Redeemer,  and  sit  at  His  feet  ? 

I tread  where  the  twelve  in  their  wayfarings  trod; 

I stand  where  they  stood  with  the  chosen  of  God: 

Where  His  blessings  were  heard,  and  His  lessons  were  taught 
Where  the  blind  were  restored  and  the  healing  was  wrought. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


75 


Oh,  here  with  His  flock  the  sad  Wanderer  came, — 

These  hills  He  toiled  oyer  in  grief  are  the  same, — 

The  founts  where  He  drank  by  the  wayside  still  flow, 

And  the  same  airs  are  blowing  which  breathed  on  His  brow  ! 
And  throned  on  her  hills  sits  Jerusalem  yet, 

But  with  dust  on  her  forehead,  and  chains  on  her  feet ; 

For  the  crown  of  her  pride  to  the  mocker  hath  gone. 

And  the  holy  Shechinah  is  dark  where  it  shone. 

But  wherefore  this  dream  of  the  earthly  abode 
Of  Humanity  clothed  in  the  brightness  of  God ! 

Were  my  spirit  but  turned  from  the  outward  and  dim. 

It  could  gaze,  even  now,  on  the  presence  of  Him ! 

Not  in  clouds  and  in  terrors,  but  gentle  as  when 
In  love  and  in  meekness  He  moved  among  men ; 

And  the  voice  which  breathed  peace  to  the  waves  of  the  sea, 
In  the  hush  of  my  spirit  would  whisper  to  me. 


XVIII.— ITALY:  FLORENCE  AND  PISA. 

Italy  is  equally  rich  in  beautiful  scenery  and  in  attractive 
historic  associations.  . Its  skies  are  soft*  its  mountain  slopes 
clothed  with  verdure,  its  valleys  fruitful,  and  its  cities  are 
treasuries  of  art.  The  whole  land  has  become  the  resort  of 
visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Among  its  cities,  two 
of  the  most  attractive  are  the  neighboring  Tuscan  towns  of 
Florence  and  Pisa. 

It  is  impossible  to  imagine  anything  more  lovely  than  the 
view  of  Florence  from  the  heights  around  which  command 
the  city.  But  within,  the  feeling  is  different.  Florence 


76 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


lacks  the  palatial  splendor  of  Genoa,  or  the  cheerfulness 
of  Milan,  or  the  aristocratic  luxury  of  Venice.  The  gene- 
ral aspect  of  the  streets  and  buildings  is  that  of  thought- 
ful, sober  dignity.  The  streets  are  narrow,  shaded  by  lofty, 
solid  palaces. 

Modern  Florence  is  of  an  irregular  shape,  unequally  di- 
vided by  the  Arno,  now  shallow  and  sluggish,  now  swelling, 
now  rushing  down  from  the  mountains  with'  irresistible 
fury ; three-quarters  are  on  the  north,  and  one  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river. 

The  first  distinct  historical  notice  of  Florence  is  the  men- 
tion of  an  embassy  sent  by  the  Florentines  to  Rome,  A.  D.  10. 
Remains  of  Roman  buildings  have  been  discovered,  but  rude 
and  poor,  and  indicating  the  happy  obscurity  and  insignifi- 
cance which  the  city  enjoyed.  Of  the  modern  city,  the 
Lungo  TArno  is  that  part  which  first  offers  itself  to  the  view 
of  the  stranger.  The  buildings  crowd  upon  it  in  lofty 
groups,  some  with  the  elegance  of  beauty,  some  towered  like 
castles;  all  with  the  charm  of  variety.  Whether  in  the  early 
morning,  when  the  mosses  are  purpled  in  the  light  of  the 
yet  unrisen  sun,  or  in  the  bright,  pale  glow  of  day,  when  the 
heavy  shadows  are  cast  at  the  foot  of  the  edifices,  or  in  the 
sweet,  genial  evening,  it  is  at  all  times  a scene  of  unrivaled 
pleasantness. 

Of  the  palaces  of  Florence  none  has  acquired  such  fame 
as  the  Pitti  Palace.  This  splendid  structure,  lately  the  resi- 
dence of  the  sovereign,  has  from  its  beginning  been  most 
intimately  connected  with  the  fates  and  fortunes  of  Flo- 
rence. It  was  commenced  in  1440,  and  came  into  the  hands 
of  the  Medicis  family  by  purchase  in  1559.  The  exterior 
elevation,  presenting  a vast,  extended,  but  not  very  lofty, 
front,  is  solid,  massive,  almost  colossal.  It  is  generally  com- 
plained of  that  the  aspect  is  more  like  a prison  than  a palace, 
and  the  rough  masses  of  stone  employed  in  the  basement  are 
too  sternly  strong  for  a palace  where  ornament  and  finished 
beauty  should  prevail.  The  interior  of  the  palace  is  a re- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


77 


pository  of  all  that  is-  excellent  in  Florentine,  and  in  fact 
Italian  art.  Here  are  preserved  some  of  the  most  valuable 
paintings  of  the  old  masters. 

If  the  traveler  from  England  were  to  merely  see  the  city 
of  Pisa,  and  then  return  home  immediately,  seeing  nothing 
else,  the  time,  trouble,  and  expense  of  the  journey  would  be 
well  bestowed.  The  noble  groups  formed  by  the  Duomo, 
the  Baptistery,  and  the  church  of  the  Campo  Santo,  rise  in 
solemn  tranquility  from  the  green  meadow  of  close-shaven 
turf,  apart  from  all  the  ordinary  habitations  of  mankind. 
The  tower,  the  temples,  and  the  sepulchre,  form  a city  of 
their  own;  their  forms  standing  out  in  the  yellow  -glory 
produced  by  the  full  effulgence  of  the  Italian  sun  and  sky. 

There  are  few  buildings  of  which  the  forms  are  more 
familiar  to  us  than  those  of  the  leaning  tower  and  dome  of 
Pisa;  yet  there  are  also  few  which  can  be  so  little  understood 
or  appreciated  until  the  reality  has  been  seen.  The  Duomo 
stands  upon  a terrace  ascended  by  steps,  adding  much  to  its 
majesty ; and  with  the  exception  of  the  light  and  elegant 
Gothic  arches  which  encircle  the  cupola,  forming  as  it  were, 
a crown  out  of  which  it  rises.  Passing  from  the  brightness 
of  the  outward  scene,  in  which  the  golden  glow  of  the  mar- 
ble shining  in  the  mid-day  sun  is  almost  overpowering,  one 
is  hardly  prepared  for  the  coolness  and  sweetness  of  the 
subdued  air,  and  the  dim  light  magically  pervading  the  inte- 
rior of  this  impressive  sanctuary.  The  windows  of  stained 
glass  give  great  completeness  to  the  view.  The  Duomo  was 
once  very  rich  in  monuments,  but  some  were  destroyed  by 
the  fire  in  1596,  and  others  have  been  removed. 

The  Campanile  is  more  usually  called  the  “ Leaning 
Tower ; ” but  this  name  does  not  convey  anything  like  a 
real  notion  of  the  bearing  and  form  of  the  building.  It  is 
not  a leaning  tower,  but  a contorted  or  twisted  tower.  Like 
a tree,  which,  springing  out  of  the  shelving  side  of  a rock, 
strives  to  become  perpendicular,  and  bends  its  trunk  by 
force  of  vegetation ; so  accordingly  have  the  architects,  as 


78 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


they  proceeded  in  their  work,  after  the  first  sink,  endeavored 
to  right  the  building.  The  consequence  has  been  an  ir- 
regular curvature  in  this  great  trunk.  The  Campanile  not 
only  leans,  but  has  also  sunk  down  into  the  ground.  The 
foundation  appears  to  have  cut  into  a vein  of  quicksand, 
and  it  has  sunk  so  much  that  you  could  not  see  the  base, 
were  it  not  for  the  excavations  around  it. 


XIX.— THE  JAPANESE  AND  THEIR  CUSTOMS. 

The  empire  of  J apan  consists  of  a chain  of  islands  lying 
off  the  eastern  coasts  of  continental  Asia.  The  largest  of 
these  islands  is  called  Nipon,  and  it  has  a length  of  more 
than  900  miles.  Besides  Nipon  there  are  two  other  large 
islands,  and  a multitude  of  smaller  ones.  Although  the 
history  of  the  Japanese,  as  an  organized  and  civilized  peo- 
ple, extends  back  beyond  the  Christian  era,  the  ancient  geo- 
graphers were  ignorant  of  the  very  existence  of  the  empire. 
The  first  notice  of  Japan  was  given  to  the  w^orld  by  Marco 
Polo,  who  heard  of  the  country  under  the  name  of  Zipangu, 
while  in  China  near  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century. 

This  was  followed  up  by  its  actual  discovery  in  the  year 
1542,  fifty  years  after  the  discovery  of  America.  A Portu- 
guese vessel,  bound  for  Macao,  was  driven  far  out  of  her 
course  by  a tempest,  and  landed  on  one  of  the  J apanese 
islands.  The  foreigners  were  well  received,  and  a trade  was 
established  which  was  long  monopolized  by  the  Portuguese. 
Missionaries  were  also  sent  and  were  very  successful  in  their 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


79 


efforts  at  conversion,  until  by  inward  contentions  they  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  government,  who  began  a series 
of  persecutions,  terminating  in  the  expulsion  of  all  Portu- 
guese from  the  empire. 

For  two  hundred  years  the  Japanese  had  absolutely  no 
intercourse  with  any  other  nation ; and  it  is  to  America 
that  the  credit  belongs  of  re-establishing  commercial  rela- 
tions with  Japan.  The  increased  traffic  between  Eastern 
Asia  and  Northwestern  America,  and  the  importance  of  the 
whale-fishery  in  the  Japanese  seas,  had  rendered  it  very  de- 
sirable to  have  free  access  to  at  least  some  of  the  ports  oi 
Japan.  Repeated  attempts  had  been  made  by  England, 
Russia,  and  the  United  States,  but  without  success,  when  at 
length  the  latter  government  resolved  to  fit  out  an  expe- 
dition that  would  be  worthy  of  the  object.  Commodore 
Perry  sailed  in  command  from  Norfolk,  November,  1852, 
and  in  1854  concluded  a treaty,  by  which  the  ports  of  Japan 
were  to  be  open  to  American  vessels.  The  same  privilege 
has  since  been  accorded  to  Great  Britain. 

The  traditional  or  fabulous  portion  of  J apanese  history 
extends  far  beyond  the  Christian  era ; though  the  empire 
does  not  claim  such  extravagant  antiquity  as  do  the  Hin- 
doos and  Chinese.  The  first  emperor,  and  the  civilizer  of 
the  Japanese,  is  said  to  have  ascended  the  throne  660  B.  C. 
The  first  of  the  noted  historical  personages,  after  him,  is 
Yamato,  who  is  supposed  to  have  lived  during  the  second 
century.  He  was  a famous  military  chieftain,  belonging  to 
the  imperial  family,  and  achieved  the  conquest  of  the  east- 
ern and  northern  portions  of  the  Island  of  Nipon. 

Buddhism  was  introduced  in  the  reign  of  Osin,  about  a 
century  afterwards ; and  its  introduction  by  way  of  China 
brought  with  it  various  Chinese  customs,  such  as  the  de- 
grees of  rank  among  government  officials.  The  Emperor 
Yoritomo  died  in  1199  A.  D.,  and  is  generally  regarded  by 
the  Japanese  as  the  greatest  hero  in  their  history.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  thirteenth  century,  there  was  a war  with 


80 


THE  WORLD  IH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


China,  which  was  governed  at  that  time  by  the  great  Knbla 
Khan.  The  next  few  centuries  were  occupied  with  civil 
strife,  in  the  midst  of  which  Christianity  was  introduced 
into  the  country.  It  was  owing  to  this  lack  of  central 
power,  and  the  very  general  conflict  of  rival  interests  at  the 
time,  that  the  Jesuit  missionaries  were  allowed  so  much 
freedom  at  first. 

The  policy  of  the  present  government  of  Japan  is  to  pre- 
serve the  friendship  of  other  nations,  and  employ  the  science 
and  skill  of  modern  times  in  developing  the  resources  of 
J apan.  Hundreds  of  intelligent  young  J apanese,  some  of 
them  belonging  to  the  best  families  of  the  Empire,  have 
been  sent  to  the  United  States  to  be  educated.  The  com- 
mercial relations  between  the  countries  are  constantly 
growing  more  extended  and  important,  and  former  restric- 
tions are  gradually  relaxing,  as  the  people  become  familiar 
with  the  new  order  of  things.  Ko  oriental  race  shows  such 
capacity  for  progress  as  the  Japanese.  One  of  their  charac- 
teristics is  a restless  curiosity,  which  assists  them  in  rapidly 
acquiring  a knowledge  of  science  and  the  mechanic  arts ; 
and  the  eagerness  which  the  government  now  exhibits  to 
avail  itself  of  all  modern  discoveries  is  all  the  more  re- 
markable,* since  the  opportunity  was  so  long  and  so  stub- 
bornly resisted. 


XX.— GLACIERS  AHD  ICE  CAVES. 

The  glaciers,  one  of  the  most  sublime  and  wonderful 
features  of  nature,  are  formed  from  the  gathered  snow 
which  falls  on  the  higher  summits  and  valleys,  and  which 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


81 


remains  for  several  months  a dry  and  loose  powder,  until 
the  heat  of  the  summer  sun  begins  to  melt  and  consolidate 
it.  Under  the  influence  of  the  sun’s  warmth,  the  snow 
first  softens ; and  to  pass  over  it  in  that  state  is  like  walk- 
ing among  rice  or  peas,  in  which  the  foot  sinks  up  to  the 
knees.  Lower  down,  or  as  the  heat  increases,  so  as  to  melt 
a considerable  portion,  and  cause  the  water  to  percolate  it, 
it  becomes  a compact  mass. 

The  frosty  temperature  of  the  night  hardens  that  which 
has  been  dissolved  in  the  day;  and  thus,  after  repeated 
thawings  and  freezings,  the  whole  undergoes  a fresh  crys- 
tallization, being  converted  into  ice  of  a coarser  grain  and 
less  compact  substance  than  common  ice.  Thus,  by  a suc- 
cession of  partial  changes  of  the  millions  of  frozen  particles, 
the  snow  of  the  high  mountain  summits  is  made  into  ice, 
and  the  white  flakes  falling  on  the  peaks  become  those 
rivers  of  bluish  crystal,  which  slowly  make  their  way  down 
between  the  sides  of  the  gorges. 

Imperceptibly  the  field  of  snow  is  changed  into  glacier. 
The  newly-fallen  flakes  begin  by  first  settling  down  and  har- 
dening. Then,  when  the  rays  of  the  sun  have  warmed  the 
snow-field  to  melting  point,  a number  of  small  drops  pene- 
trate into  the  lower  layers,  and,  freezing  again  into  small 
envelopes,  become  cemented  all  together  into  a compact 
mass.  The  snow  may  thus  become  very  hard,  and  on  the 
edge  of  many  of  the  precipices  it  forms  a kind  of  overhang- 
ing penthouse,  which  resists  for  a considerable  time  the 
effects  of  the  weather  without  giving  way. 

In  the  end  the  entire  thickness  of  the  snow-field  changes 
its  structure.  Particles  of  ice  approach  one  another,  and 
unite  across  the  little  veins  of  water  which  fill  it  in  every 
direction;  fresh  liquid  films  are  formed  under  the  pressure 
above ; fresh  unions  take  place  between  the  divided  morsels 
of  ice;  and  by  this  continual  process  of  change,  the  air 
contained  in  the  mass  of  that  which  once  was  snow  is  gradu- 
ally expelled.  Thus  it  happens  that  the  whole  mass  at  last 
4* 


82 


THE  WOIiLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


assumes  an  almost  perfect  transparency,  and  a beautiful 
azure  color.  It  is,  however,  the  case  every  winter  that  the 
clefts  on  the  surface  of  the  glaciers  are  filled  up  with  fresh 
masses  of  snow.  These  new  layers,  to  which  an  intermix- 
ture of  air-bubbles  gives  a whitish  tint,  are  dragged  and 
thrown  forward  by  the  general  movement. 

In  several  glaciers,  where  mighty  cracks  or  crevices 
(called  crevasses ) disclose  the  inner  structure  of  the  whole 
mass,  it  is  wonderful  to  see  the  layers  of  gray  snow  and 
the  blue  belts  of  ice,  just  like  the  beds  of  a formation  of 
rocks.  The  snows  which  are  thus  transformed  into  ice  by 
the  effects  of  pressure  form  the  enormous  masses  which 
cover  the  mountain  sides,  and  fill  up  whole  valleys.  Some 
of  these  glaciers — those  of  the  Pyrenees,  for  instance — only 
extend  over  the  upper  slopes  of  the  mountain,  and  do  not 
descend  through  the  gorges  as  far  as  the  cultivated  grounds 
at  its  base.  There  are  other  fields  of  ice  which  also  take 
their  rise  on  lofty  peaks,  and,  flowing  out  into  the  moun- 
tain amphitheaters,  make  their  way  into  the  lower  valleys, 
uniting,  on  each  side  of  their  beds,  with  the  ice  of  other 
gorges;  these  are  glaciers  of  the  first  order.  There  are 
some  which  extend  to  a length  of  twelve,  eighteen,  or 
thirty  miles,  and  attain  a thickness  of  several  hundred  yards. 

There  are  two  distinct  and  different  snowy  coverings  of 
the  high  Alps.  The  term  glacier  is  given  to  the  lower 
limbs  of  more  solid  ice,  which  stretch  down  into  the  valleys. 
The  upper  part  presents  a smooth,  hollow  surface  of  daz- 
zling white,  while  that  of  the  glacier  is  convex ; its  cre- 
vasses are  wider,  and  are  thinly  covered  over  writh  treacherous 
snow.  It  is  a region  of  complete  desolation.  On  the  upper 
part  the  snow  which  falls  in  the  winter  does  not  entirely 
disappear  in  the  course  of  the  following  year;  while  that 
which  falls  on  the  lower  glacier  is  almost  always  melted  in 
the  course  of  the  summer,  and  never  combines  with  the  ice. 

Mountaineers,  for  a long  time,  have  been  aware  of  the 
fact  that  glaciers  move  onward,  and  convey  masses  of  rock 


•THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


83 


from  the  mountain  summits  down  into  the  valleys.  The 
motion  is  found  to  be  the  more  rapid  in  the  central  portion 
of  the  field  of  ice.  The  mass  of  the  glacier  occupying  the 
centre  of  the  bed  descends  more  quickly  than  the  parts  near 
the  two  sides.  The  real  cause  of  the  onward  motion  of 
rivers  of  ice  lies  in  the  formation  of  innumerable  cracks, 
and  in  the  re-gathering  of  all  the  broken  fragments  into  a 
fresh  mass.  Under  the  pressure  of  the  enormous  weight 
wThich  pushes  it  forward,  the  ice  ultimately  becomes  so 
moulded  as  to  fit  perfectly  into  its  channel  of  rocks,  just  as 
if  it  were  a pasty  mass.  If  the  gorge  becomes  narrow,  the 
glacier  lengthens,  in  order  to  make  its  w^ay  into  the  defile ; 
if  the  mountain  sides  widen  out  in  a basin,  the  glacier 
spreads  out  like  a lake  in  the  broad  hollow. 

Spring  time  is  the  season  when  the  river  of  ice  descends 
toward  the  valley  with  the  greatest  rapidity.  The  blocks 
of  ice,  glued  to  the  sides  of  their  bed  by  the  frosts  of  winter, 
regain  their  liberty.  It  is  probable  that  in  summer  the 
progress  of  a glacier  is  at  least  double  as  fast  as  it  is  in  the 
cold  season.  Not  only  does  the  river  of  ice  act  exactly  like 
a liquid  watercourse,  by  its  waves  rolling  on  with  much 
more  rapidity  in  the  central  portion  than  at  the  edges,  but, 
like  all  other  rivers,  it  assumes  the  greater  amount  of  force 
in  its  current  at  the  outer  side  of  its  successive  windings. 
The  same  cause  which  impedes  the  motion  of  a glacier  at 
the  edges — that  is,  the  friction  of  the  sliding  mass  against 
the  rocks — makes  its  current  slower  along  its  bed. 

Glaciers  are  thus  always  being  renewed  and  destroyed. 
The  arms  or  skirts  descending  into  the  lower  valleys  are 
gradually  melted  by  the  increased  warmth.  The  summer 
sun,  aided  by  particular  winds,  acts  upon  the  surface,  so 
that,  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  it  abounds  in  pools  and  rills 
of  water.  The  constant  evaporation  from  every  part  ex- 
posed to  the  air  greatly  lessens  the  upper  beds ; but,  above 
all,  the  warmth  of  the  earth  is  constantly  melting  away  its 
lower  surface. 


84 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


The  vacancy  thus  caused  from  below  is  entirely  filled  up 
from  above  by  the  winter’s  snow  falling  upon  the  mountain- 
tops,  and  on  the  whole  upper  region,  which  is  drifted  into 
the  higher  valleys,  and  pressed  down  by  its  own  weight. 
After  it  has  hardened  into  ice,  the  slope  of  the  mountain 
sides,  and  the  descent  of  the  valleys  in  which  the  glaciers 
lie,  serve  as  inclined  planes,  down  which  the  ice  slides,  as- 
sisted by  the  melting  on  its  under  surface,  which  prevents 
any  adhesion  to  the  rock  below  it. 

Hugi,  in  one  of  his  journeys,  found  his  way  under  a 
glacier  by  following  the  bed  of  a dried-up  torrent  which 
passed  below  it.  He  wandered  about  beneath  the  ice  for 
the  distance  of  a mile.  The  ice  was  everywhere  eaten  away 
into  dome-shaped  hollows,  varying  from  two  to  twelve  feet 
in  height,  so  that  the  whole  mass  of  the  glacier  rested  at 
intervals  on  pillars  or  feet  of  ice,  irregular  in  size  and 
shape,  which  had  been  left  standing.  As  soon  as  any  of 
these  props  gave  way,  a portion  of  the  glacier  would  of 
course  fall  in  and  move  on.  A dim  twilight,  coming 
through  the  mass  of  ice  above,  prevailed  in  these  caverns  of 
ice,  not  sufficient  to  allow  one  to  read,  except  close  to  the 
fissures  which  directly  admitted  the  daylight.  The  intense 
blue  of  the  mass  of  the  ice  contrasted  remarkably  with  the 
pure  white  of  the  icy  pendants  descending  from  the  roof. 

The  water  streamed  down  upon  him  from  all  sides,  so 
that  after  wandering  about  for  two  hours,  at  times  bending 
and  creeping  to  get  along  under  the  low  vaults,  he  returned 
to  the  open  air,  quite  drenched  and  half  frozen.  The  sur- 
face of  the  mountain,  however  hard,  is  subjected  to  an  ex- 
traordinary process  of  grinding  and  polishing  from  the  vast 
masses  of  ice  constantly  passing  over  it.  The  harder  frag- 
ments act  like  diamonds  on  glass,  and  scratch  deep  and 
long  grooves  on  the  surface.  The  seat  of  ancient  glaciers, 
which  have  now  entirely  disappeared,  may  still  be  discovered 
by  the  furrows  left  behind  them  on  the  rocks. 

The  nature  of  the  upper  surface  of  the  ice  depends  upon 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


85 


that  of  the  ground  on  which  it  rests ; where  it  is  even  or 
nearly  so,  the  ice  is  smooth  and  level ; but  whenever  the 
supporting  surface  becomes  slanting  or  uneven,  the  glacier 
begins  to  split  and  gape  in  all  directions.  As  it  approaches 
a steeper  slope  or  precipice,  the  layers  of  ice  ^re  displaced, 
upheaved,  and  squeezed  one  above  another;  they  rise  in 
toppling  crags  and  towers  of  the  most  fantastic  shapes,  vary- 
ing in  height  from  twenty  to  eighty  feet.  Being  unequally 
melted  by  the  wind  and  sun,  they  are  continually  tottering 
to  their  fall,  either  by  their  own  weight  or  the  pressure  of 
other  masses,  and,  tumbling  headlong,  are  shivered  to  atoms 
with  a roar  like  thunder. 

The  crevasses,  or  fissures,  which  traverse  the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  glacier  .before  it  becomes  entirely  broken,  run 
crosswise,  never  extending  quite  across  the  ice-field,  but 
narrowing  out  at  the  ends,  so  that  when  they  gape  too  wide 
to  leap  across,  they  may  always  be  turned  by  following  them 
to  their  end.  These  rents  and  fissures  are  the  chief  source 
of  danger  to  those  who  cross  the  glaciers,  being  often  con- 
cealed by  a treacherous  coating  of  snow,  and  many  a bold 
chamois-hunter  has  found  a grave  in  their  recesses.  Ebel 
mentions  an  instance  of  a shepherd  who,  in  driving  his  flock 
over  the  ice  to  a high  pasturage,  had  the  misfortune  to  tum- 
ble into  one  of  these  clefts.  He  fell  in  the  vicinity  of  a tor- 
rent which  flowed  under  the  glacier,  and,  by  following  its 
bed  under  the  vault  of  ice,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  foot 
of  the  glacier,  with  a broken  arm.  The  waters  collected  by 
the  melting  of  the  ice  from  all  parts  of  the  surface  of  a 
glacier  often  accumulate  into  torrents,  which,  traversing  the 
glacier,  at  length  precipitate  themselves  into  a hole  or  fissure 
in  its  surface  in  the  form  of  a cascade. 

A singular  circumstance  occurs  when  a single  large  mass 
of  rock  has  fallen  upon  the  glacier ; the  shade  and  protec- 
tion from  the  sun’s  rays  afforded  by  the  stone  prevents  the 
ice  on  which  it  rests  from  melting,  and,  while  the  surface 
around  is  gradually  lowered,  it  remains  supported  on  a pil- 


86 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


lar  or  table,  like  a mushroom  911  a stalk,  often  reaching  a 
height  of  several  feet.  At  the  lower  end  of  almost  all  gla- 
ciers a high  cross  ridge  of  rubbish,  called  the  terminal 
moraine,  exists.  It  consists  of  the  fragments  of  rock  which 
have  fallen  from  the  surrounding  mountains,  and  of  masses 
detached  by  the  glacier  itself.  These  are  heaped  up  some- 
times to  a height  of  eighty  or  one  hundred  feet. 

Not  unfrequently  there  are  three  or  four  such  ridges,  one 
behind  the  other.  The  broken  stones,  mud  and  sand, 
mixed  with  shattered  fragments  of  ice,  of  which  they  are 
composed,  have  an  unsightly  appearance.  The  glacier,  in- 
deed, has  a natural  tendency  to  purge  itself  from  impurities, 
and  whatever  happens  to  fall  upon  it  is  gradually  discharged 
in  this  manner.  It  likewise  exerts  great  force,  and,  like  a 
vast  millstone,  grinds  down  not  only  the  rock  which  com- 
poses its  channel,  but  all  the  fragments  interposed  between 
it  and  the  rock,  forming,  in  the  end,  a sort  of  stone-meal. 

It  is  highly  interesting  to  consider  how  important  a ser- 
vice the  glaciers  perform  in  the  economy  of  nature.  These 
dead  and  chilly  fields  of  ice,  which  prolong  the  reign  of  win- 
ter throughout  the  year,  are,  in  reality,  the  source  of  life  and 
the  springs  of  vegetation.  They  are  the  locked-up  reser- 
voirs, the  sealed  fountains,  from  which  the  vast  rivers  tra- 
versing the  great  continents  of  our  globe  are  sustained.  The 
summer  heat,  which  dries  up  other  sources  of  water,  first 
opens  out  their  bountiful  supplies.  When  the  rivers  of  the 
plain  begin  to  shrink  and  dwindle  within  their  parched 
beds,  the  torrents  of  the  mountains,  fed  by  melting  snow 
and  glaciers,  rush  down  and  supply  the  deficiency. 

During  the  whole  summer,  the  traveler  who  crosses  the 
glaciers  hears  the  torrents  melting  and  running  below  him 
at  the  bottom  of  the  azure  clefts.  These  plenteous  rills 
gushing  forth  in  their  dark  beds  are  generally  all  collected 
in  one  stream,  at  the  foot  of  the  glacier,  which,  in  conse- 
quence, is  eaten  away  into  a vast  dome-shaped  arch,  some- 
times 100  feet  high,  gradually  increasing  until  the  constant 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


87 


thawing  weakens  its  support,  and  it  gives  way  and  falls  in 
with  a crash.  Some  caverns  of  ice  are  seen  in  great  perfec- 
tion, in  some  years,  at  the  source  of  the  Arveyron,  in  the 
valley  of  Chamouni,  and  in  the  glaciers  of  Grindenwald. 
The  streams  issuing  from  glaciers  are  distinguished  by  their 
turbid,  dirty-white,  or  milky  color. 


XXI.— HYMN  BEFORE  SUNRISE  IN  THE  VALLEY  OF 
CHAMOUNI,  SWITZERLAND. 

Hast  thou  a charm  to  stay  the  morning  star 
In  his  steep  course  ? So  long  he  seems  to  pause 
On  thy  bald,  awful  head,  O sovereign  Blanc  ! 

The  Arve  and  Arveyron  at  thy  base 
Rave  ceaselessly : but  thou,  most  awful  form, 

Risest  from  forth  thy  silent  sea  of  pines, 

How  silently  ! Around  thee  and  above. 

Deep  is  the  air  and  dark,  substantial,  black. 

An  ebon  mass  ! methinks  thou  piercest  it 
As  with  a wedge.  But  when  I look  again, 

It  is  thine  own  calm  home,  thy  crystal  shrine. 

Thy  habitation  from  eternity. 

0 dread  and  silent  Mount ! I gazed  upon  thee 
Till  thou,  still  present  to  the  bodily  sense, 

Didst  vanish  from  my  thought : entranced  in  prayer 

1 worshipped  the  Invisible  alone. 

Yet,  like  some  sweet  beguiling  melody, — 

So  sweet  we  know  not  we  are  listening  to  it, — 

Thou,  the  meanwhile,  was  blending  with  my  thoughts. 

Yea,  with  my  life  and  life’s  own  secret  joy  ; 

Till  the  dilating  soul,  enwrapt,  transfused, 

Into  the  mighty  vision  passing — there 

As  in  her  natural  form,  swelled  vast  to  heaven. 


88 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEKEOSCOPE. 


/ 


Awake,  my  soul ! not  only  passive  praise 
Thou  owest ! not  alone  these  swelling  tears. 

Mute  thanks,  and  secret  ecstacy  ! Awake, 

Voice  of  sweet  song  ! Awake,  my  heart,  awake ! 
Green  vales  and  icy  cliffs  ! all  join  my  hymn. 

Thou  first  and  chief,  sole  sovereign  of  the  vale  ! 

O,  struggling  with  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

And  visited  all  night  by  troops  of  stars, 

Or  when  they  climb  the  sky,  or  when  they  sink, — 
Companion  of  the  morning-star  at  dawn, 

Thyself  earth’s  rosy  star,  and  of  the  dawn 
Co-herald — wake,  O wake,  and  utter  praise  ! 

Who  sank  thy  sunless  pillars  deep  in  earth  ? 

Who  filled  thy  countenance  with  rosy  light  ? 

Who  made  thee  parent  of  perpetual  streams  ? 

And  you,  ye  five  wild  torrents  fiercely  glad  ! 

Who  called  you  forth  from  night  and  utter  death, 
From  dark  and  icy  caverns  called  you  forth, 

Down  those  precipitious,  black,  jagged  rocks, 

Forever  shattered,  and  the  same  forever  ? 

Who  gave  you  your  invulnerable  life. 

Your  strength,  your  speed,  your  fury,  and  your  joy. 
Unceasing  thunder,  and  eternal  foam  ? 

And  who  commanded, — and  the  silence  came, — 

“ Here  let  the  billows  stiffen  and  have  rest  ?” 

Ye  ice-falls  ! ye  that  from  the  mountain’s  brow 
Adown  enormous  ravines  slope  amain — 

Torrents,  methinks,  that  heard  a mighty  voice. 

And  stopped  at  once  amid  their  maddest  plunge  ! 
Motionless  torrents  ! silent  cataracts  ! 

Who  made  you  glorious  as  the  gates  of  heaven 
Beneath  the  keen  full  moon  ? Who  bade  the  sun 
Clothe  you  with  rainbows  ? "Who,  with  living  flowers 
Oflovliest  blue,  spread  garlands  at  your  feet? 

God  ! let  the  torrents,  like  a shout  of  nations, 

Answer  ! and  let  the  ice-plains  echo,  God  ! 

God  ! sing,  ye  meadow-streams,  with  gladsome  voice ! 
Ye  pine  groves,  with  your  soft  and  soul-like  sounds  ! 
And  they,  too,  have  a voice,  yon  piles  of  snow, 

And  in  their  perilous  fall  shall  thunder,  God ! 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


89 


Ye  living  flowers  that  skirt  the  eternal  frost  ! 
Ye  wild  goats  sporting  ronnd  the  eagle’s  nest! 
Ye  eagles,  playmates  of  the  mountain  storm  ! 
Ye  lightnings,  the  dread  arrows  of  the  clouds  ! 
Ye  signs  and  wonders  of  the  elements  ! 

Utter  forth  God,  and  fill  the  hills  with  praise  ! 


XXII.— ATHENS  AND  ANCIENT  GREECE. 

The  historical  associations  of  Greece  are  mainly  clustered 
around  Athens,  the  metropolis  of  the  country,  as  well  as  the 
former  center  of  refinement  and  culture  in  the  world.  While 
Rome  was  in  its  infancy,  the  Greeks  had  carried  art  to  an 
extent  of  perfection  that  has  hardly  been  equaled  since. 
The  small  peninsula  of  Greece  was  divided  up  into  petty 
states,  each  jealous  of  the  other,  though  necessarily  leagued 
together  in  war  against  foreign  invaders.  Among  these 
states,  the  republic  of  Athens  early  acquired  a prominence. 
Being  situated  near  the  sea,  and  having  a good  harbor,  the 
Athenians  were  always  active  in  commercial  pursuits.  By 
the  acquaintance  that  they  thus  gained  with  the  institu- 
tions of  other  countries,  and  especially  those  of  Egypt  and 
Syria,  at  that  time  the  birth-places  of  learning  and  intelli- 
gence, the  Athenians  improved  their  manners  far  in  advance 
of  the  other  states,  which  had  little  outside  communication. 

Athens  produced  many  of  the  great  poets,  painters,  sculp- 
tors and  orators  whose  names  are  quoted  familiarly  in  our 
-schools  to-day.  Of  their  works,  many  have  lived  after  them. 
The  writings  of  some  authors  have  been  preserved  entire, 
and  of  others  a great  part  has  been  saved.  Sculpture,  archi- 


90 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


tecture,  and  painting  fared  worse,  and  we  have  few  monu- 
ments of  their  genius  left.  After  the  overthrow  of  Greek 
independence,  Greece  rapidly  degenerated,  and  until  within 
the  last  half-century  very  little  was  known  of  the  country  or 
its  inhabitants. 

The  common  belief  was  that  modern  Greece  was  inhabited 
by  rude  tribes,  governed  by  fanatical  Turks,  whose  barbarous 
rule  exposed  travelers  to  insult  and  robbery.  Besides,  the 
country  was  not  known  to  be  distinguished  by  its  natural 
beauties.  In  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  coun- 
try was  more  visited  by  travelers,  and  by  these  much  infor- 
mation was  given  to  the  world  in  respect  to  modern  Greece. 
It  is  now  found  that  the  modern  Greeks,  instead  of  being  a 
mixed  and  barbarous  people,  possess  a respectable  degree  of 
civilization. 

Athens  now  contains  about  40,000  inhabitants.  The 
streets  are  not  regularly  laid  out,  nor  are  they  carefully 
leveled,  and  a great  open  sewer  traverses  it  throughout. 
Yet  at  every  step  are  to  be  seen  pretty  houses  ornamented 
with  columns,  and  standing  in  the  midst  of  gardens.  There 
are  above  three  hundred  churches  in  Athens,  but  only  five 
or  six  are  habitable : the  rest  are  mere  sheds  or  ruins. 

The  most  ancient  part  of  Athens  is  the  Acropolis.  It  is 
in  general  form  a rocky  platform,  about  1,100  feet  long  and 
45  feet  broad.  It  was  of  old  a citadel,  but  after  the  invasion 
of  Xerxes  became  one  great  sanctuary.  On  it  were  built  the 
magnificent  temples  and  other  works  of  art  which  did  more 
than  anything  else  to  preserve  the  Athenian  love  of  beauty 
and  religion  in  the  latter  days  of  the  state.  The  only 
approach  to  it  was  from  the  Agora,  or  Senate  house,  on  its 
western  side. 

At  the  top  of  a magnificent  flight  of  marble  steps,  70  feet 
broad,  stood  the  Tropykea,  constructed^  under  the  direction 
of  Pericles,  and  which  served  as  a suitable  entrance  to  the 
exquisite  works  within.  They  were  entirely  of  the  finest 
and  whitest  marble,  and  covered  the  whole  of  the  western 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


91 


end  of  the  Acropolis,  haying  a breadth  of  168  feet.  The 
central  portion  of  them  consisted  of  two  porticos,  of  which 
the  western  one  faced  the  city,  and  the  eastern  one  the  inte- 
rior of  the  Acropolis.  Each  portico  consisted  of  a front  of 
six  columns.  The  central  part  of  the  building  just  described 
was  58  feet  in  breadth,  but  the  remaining  breadth  of  the 
rock  at  this  point  was  covered  by  two  wings  which  projected 
26  feet  in  front  of  the  western  portico.  Each  of  these  wings 
was  in  the  form  of  a Doric  temple.  The  northern  one  was 
hung  with  paintings,  while  the  southern  one  consisted  only 
of  a porch  or  open  gallery. 

On  passing  through  the  Propolaea,  all  the  glories  of  the 
Parthenon,  the  most  perfect  production  of  Grecian  archi- 
tecture, became  visible.  It  derived  its  name  from  its  being 
the  temple  of  Athena  Parthenos,  the  invincible  goddess  of 
war.  It  was  completed  in  438  B.  C.  The  Parthenon  stood 
on  the  highest  part  of  the  Acropolis,  near  the  centre.  Its 
dimensions  were  228  feet  in  length,  101  feet  in  breadth,  and 
66  feet  in  height.  It  was  divided  into  two  chambers,  the 
ceilings  of  which  were  supported  by  rows  of  columns.  The 
whole  building  was  adorned  with  the  most  exquisite  sculp- 
tures. The  chief  wonder  of  the  Parthenon  was  the  colossal 
statue  of  the  virgin  goddess  which  stood  in  the  eastern  cham- 
ber of  the  building. 

The  Areopagus  (Mars’  Hill)  was  a rocky  height  opposite 
the  western  end  of  the  Acropolis,  from  which  it  was  separ- 
ated only  by  some  hollow  ground.  This  was  the  spot  where 
the  Apostle  Paul  preached  to  the  men  of  Athens. 

Of  all  the  temples  and  works  of  art  that  once  adorned 
the  Acropolis,  nothing  remains  but  ruins.  The  western 
front  of  the  Parthenon  is  partly  standing,  as  well  as  some 
of  the  Propykea,  but  they  only  serve  to  faintly  shadow 
forth  their  former  magnificence. 

“ Lovely  wert  thou,  Athens,  in  thy  classic  grace ! The 
very  dust  of  thy  marbles  is  precious  in  our  eyes;  for  the 
feet  of  those  have  walked  upon  it  who  have  been  the  friends 


92 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


of  pleasant  hours  in  the  morning  dream,  or  when  the  mid- 
night lamp  shed  its  light  upon  the  yellow  page  their  genius 
made  real  with  thought  and  the  melody  of  numbers.” 


XXIII.— GREECE  IN  1809. 

Fair  Greece  ! sad  relic  of  departed  worth  ! 

Immortal,  though  no  more  ; though  fallen,  great ; 

Who  now  shall  lead  thy  scattered  children  forth. 

And  long  accustomed  bondage  uncreate  ? 

Hot  such  thy  sons  who  whilom  did  await, 

The  hopeless  warriors  of  a willing  doom — 

In  bleak  Thermopylae’s  sepulchral  strait : 

O ! who  that  gallant  spirit  shall  resume. 

Leap  from  Eurotas’  banks,  and  call  thee  from  the  tomb  ? 

Spirit  of  Freedom  ! when  on  Phyle’s  brow 
Thou  sat’st,  with  Thrasybulus  and  his  train, 

Could’ st  thou  forbode  the  dismal  hour  which  now 
Dims  the  green  beauties  of  thine  Attic  plain  ? 

Hot  thirty  tyrants  now  enforce  the  chain, 

But  every  carle  can  lord  it  o’er  thy  land ; 

Hor  rise  thy  sons,  but  idly  rail  in  vain. 

Trembling  beneath  the  scourge  of  Turkish  hand, 

From  birth  to  death  enslaved : in  word,  in  deed,  unmanned. 

In  all,  save  form  alone,  how  changed ! and  who 
That  marks  the  fire  still  sparkling  in  each  eye. 

Who  but  would  deem  their  bosoms  burned  anew 
With  thy  unquenched  beam,  lost  Liberty  ! 

And  many  dream  withal  the  hour  is  nigh 

That  gives  them  back  their  father’s  heritage ; 

For  foreign  arms  and  aid  they  fondly  sigh, 

Hor  solely  dare  encounter  hostile  rage, 

Or  tear  their  name  defiled  from  Slavery’s  mournful  page. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


93 


Hereditary  bondsmen  ! know  ye  not, 

Who  would  be  free,  themselves  must  strike  the  blow  ? 

By  their  right  arms  the  conquest  must  be  wrought ; 

Will  Gaul  or  Muscovite  redress  ye  ? No  ! 

True,  they  may  lay  your  proud  despoilers  low; 

But  not  for  you  will  Freedom’s  altars  flame. 

Shades  of  the  Helots  ! triumph  o’er  your  foe  ! 

Greece  ! change  thy  lords  ; thy  state  is  still  the  same: 
Thy  glorious  day  is  o’er,  but  not  thy  years  of  shame. 

When  riseth  Lacedaemon’ s hardihood, 

When  Thebes  Epaminondas  rears  again, 

When  Athens’  children  are  with  hearts  endued — • 

When  Grecian  mothers  shall  give  birth  to  men r— 

Then  thou  mayst  be  restored ; but  not  till  then. 

A thousand  years  scarce  serve  to  form  a state ; 

An  hour  may  lay  it  in  the  dust ; and  when 
Can  man  its  shattered  splendor  renovate  ? 

Recall  its  virtues  back,  and  vanquish  Time  and  Fate. 

And  yet  how  lovely,  in  thine  age  of  woe, 

Land  of  lost  gods,  and  godlike  men,  art  thou  ! 

Thy  vales  of  evergreen,  thy  hills  of  snow, 

Proclaim  thee  Nature’s  varied  favorite  now. 

Thy  fanes,  thy  temples,  to  thy  surface  bow. 

Commingling  slowly  with  heroic  earth ; 

Broke  by  the  share  of  every  rustic  plough ; 

So  perish  monuments  of  mortal  birth : 

So  perish  all,  in  turn,  save  well-recorded  worth ! 

Save  when  some  solitary  column  mourns 
Above  its  prostrate  brethren  of  the  cave  ; 

Save  where  Tritonia’s  airy  shrine  adorns 
Colonna’s  cliff,  and  gleams  along  the  wave ; 

Save  o’er  some  warrior’s  half  forgotten  grave. 

When  the  gray  stones  and  unmolested  grass 
Ages,  but  not  oblivion,  feebly  brave 

While  strangers  only,  not  regardless,  pass, 

Lingering,  like  me,  perchance,  to  gaze,  and  sigh  “ Alas !” 

Yet  are  thy  skies  as  blue,  thy  crags  as  wild, 

Sweet  are  thy  groves,  and  verdant  are  thy  fields, 

Thine  olive  ripe  as  when  Minerva  smiled, 

And  still  his  honeyed  wealth  Hymettus  yields.  > 


94 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


There  the  blithe  bee  his  fragrant  fortress  builds, 

The  freeborn  wanderer  of  thy  mountain  air, 

Apollo  still  thy  long,  long  summer  gilds, 

Still  in  his  beams  Mendeli’s  marbles  glare ; 

Art,  Glory,  Freedom  fail,  but  Nature  still  is  fair. 

Where'er  we  tread  ’tis  haunted,  holy  ground; 

No  earth  of  thine  is  lost  in  vulgar  mould ; 

But  one  vast  realm  of  wonder  spreads  around, 

And  all  the  Muse’s  tales  seem  truly  told, 

Till  the  sense  aches  with  gazing,  to  behold, 

The  scenes  our  earliest  dreams  have  dwelt  upon, 

Each  hill  and  dale,  each  deepening  glen  and  wold, 

Defies  the  power  which  crushed  thy  temples  gone ; 

Age  shakes  Athena’s  tower,  but  spares  gray  Marathon. 

Long  to  the  remnants  of  thy  splendor  past. 

Shall  pilgrims  pensive  but  unwearied  throng, 

Long  shall  the  voyager,  with  th’  Ionion  blast. 

Hail  the  bright  clime  of  battle  and  of  song. 

Long  shall  thine  annals  and  immortal  tongue, 

Fill  with  thy  fame  the  youth  of  many  a shore ; 

Boast  of  the  aged  ! lesson  of  the  young  ! 

Which  sages  venerate  and  bards  adore, 

As  Pallas  and  the  Muse  unveil  their  awful  lore. 


XXIV.— A BIRD’S-EYE  VIEW  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN 
HEIGHTS  OF  EUROPE. 

The  mountains  of  Europe  have  been  divided  into  several 
different  groups,  among  which  those  of  the  British  Islands 
are  least  important.  These  lie  chiefly  in  Wales  and  Scot- 
land ; and,  although  they  present  scenes  of  beauty  and  rug- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


95 


ged  grandeur,  they  are  not  of  such  height  and  extent  as  to 
merit  extended  notice.  The  hills  are  wild,  but  the  valleys 
are  cultivated.  Snowdon  is  the  loftiest  summit  in  England 
and  Wales,  and  rises,  in  the  center  of  a chain  about  35  miles 
long,  Lo  the  height  of  3,571  feet.  Wales  presents  a variety 
of  fine  mountain  scenery,  with  rich  historic  associations. 
The  highest  mountain  in  Scotland  is  Ben  Nevis,  about 
4,400  feet  high,  and  24  miles  in  circumference.  Its  northern 
front  consists  of  two  faces,  and  on  the  level  top  of  the  lowest 
of  these  is  a wild  mountain  lake,  where  a strange  scene  of 
desolation  presents  itself.  The  higher  part  of  the  mountain 
shoots  up  its  black  rocks,  strewed  with  great  fragments  of 
stone,  and  forming  a bare  and  rugged  covering  for  the 
mass  beneath.  A terrific  precipice  on  the  northeastern  side 
makes  a sheer  descent  from  the  summit  of  1,500  feet.  The 
pass  in  the  neighborhood  is  magnificent  in  its  outlines  of 
mountain  slope  and  valley. 

The  Spanish  peninsula  is  a table-land  crossed  by  ranges 
of  mountains,  and  nearly  surrounded  by  the  sea.  The  Atlas 
and  Spanish  mountains  were  at  one  time  united,  but  are 
now  cut  apart  by  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  a sea-filled  chasm 
nearly  1,000  feet  deep,  on  the  European  side  of  which  rises 
the  fortress  rock  which  is  so  famous  in  history.  Its  cannon- 
guarded  precipices  form  a mountainous  height  which  is  very 
picturesque  in  appearance.  The  interior  table-land  of  Spain 
is  guarded  on  the  west  by  the  Iberian  range,  from  which 
spring  three  other  chains,  with  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the  finest 
range  in  Europe,  except  the  Alps.  The  Pyrenees,  averaging 
about  8,000  feet  in  altitude,  rise  at  the  eastward  to  the 
Malahite,  11,170  feet  above  the  sea.  The  snow  lies  on  these 
mountains  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  and  is  always  found 
on  the  highest  parts,  but  the  glaciers  are  not  large  or 
numerous.  The  range  is  very  steep  on  the  French  side,  and 
ragged,  so  that  its  peaks  look  notched  like  the  teeth  of  a 
saw.  The  Pyrenean  range  is  subdivided  from  the  ridge  to 
right  and  left  into  knots  and  side  chains,  as  a stalk  of  fern 


96 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


is  divided  into  small  branches,  leaves,  and  leaflets.  The 
passes  are  high  and  few.  For  more  than  180  miles  in  one 
place  the  ridge  is  not  crossed  by  a single  carriage  road. 

The  interior  of  Norway  is  almost  one  entire  mass  of 
mountains  and  rocky  highlands.  But  the  mountains  do 
not  form  continuous  chains,  and  there  are  no  prominent 
summits,  though  deep  and  narrow  valleys  are  not  infre- 
quent. The  highest  land  is  the  mass  named  Sulitelma, 
6,000  feet  above  sea  level;  and  there  is  only  one  summit 
which  exceeds  8,000  feet.  The  Apennines  traverse  the 
Italian  peninsula.  They  nowhere  reach  to  the  snowline; 
although  they  present  scenes  of  wildness  and  beauty,  they 
are  inferior  in  grandeur  to  the  rocky  cliffs  of  the  Jura,  the 
sharp  peaks  of  the  Pyrenees,  and  lofty  crests  of  the  Alps. 

The  Carpathian  mountains  are  about  1,200  miles  long, 
and  are  steepest  on  the  southern  side ; their  loftiest  summit 
is  only  8,460  feet  high.  A long  mountain  range  curves 
from  the  Adriatic  to  the  Black  Sea,  with  an  average  eleva- 
tion of  less  than  5,000  feet,  but  broken  frequently  by  deep 
and  narrow  ravines  of  terrific  appearance.  It  connects 
southward  with  the  mountains  of  Greece,  encircled  with 
zones  of  wood,  and  covered  with  snow.  The  suddenness 
of  their  elevation,  their  magnificent  outlook  upon  shel- 
tered plains,  beautiful  inland  bays  broken  by  picturesque 
headlands,  and  their  rich  historic  associations,  combine  to 
make  these  heights  among  the  most  impressive  in  the 
world. 

The  Alps  are  by  far  the  most  interesting  of  European 
mountains,  or  indeed  of  the  world.  They  extend  over  a 
considerable  part  of  the  continent,  and  include  its  highest 
point.  They  sweep  in  a vast  semi-circle  round  Northern 
Italy,  and  link  themselves  to  the  Apennines.  On  the  west 
they  send  out  spurs  into  France,  and  on  the  north  descend 
into  the  landes  of  Prussia.  To  the  east,  they  reach  to  Servia 
and  the  Danube,  and  finally,  through  the  Balkhans,  they 
branch  out  to  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea  and  the  iEgean. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


97 


This  great  system  of  mountains,  which  forms,  as  it  were,, 
the  hack-bone  of  Europe,  and  the  branches  of  which,  like 
the  limbs  of  a body,  shape  the  continent  itself,  is  varied  in 
the  richness  and  variety  of  its  forms,  the  joining  of  its 
ridges,  the  number  of  its  separate  groups,  and  its  frame- 
work of  secondary  chains.  To  the  Alps,  the  glaciers  of 
which  supply,  whilst  they  moderate,  the  water-courses  of 
Western  Europe,  the  nations  which  inhabit  the  latter 
country  owe,  indirectly,  much  of  their  life  and  civilization. 
Standing  up,  like  the  bastions  of  a fort,  the  chief  Alpine 
groups  form  a protection  to  the  brave  Swiss  people.  The 
central  mass,  which  is  also  the  most  important,  is  that  of 
the  St.  Gothard,  situated  between  Switzerland  and  Italy; 
it  is  the  knot  where  the  gathering  ridges  of  the  surround- 
ing groups  unite  like  branches. 

On  the  northeast  stands  the  group  of  Todi;  on  the  east, 
that  of  Rheinwald;  on  the  west  and  south,  the  much  more 
considerable  clusters  of  the  Einsteraarhorn  and  Monte  Rosa. 
The  latter  group  is  linked  on  to  Mont  Blanc,  rising  more 
to  the  west ; but  at  this  point  the  Alpine  system  changes  its 
direction,  and,  as  a whole,  bends  round  toward  the  south. 
The  Eastern  Alps,  lying  to  the  east  of  the  St.  Gothard,  also 
show  this  arrangement  in  groups.  The  summits  of  all 
these  groups  are  more  than  9,900  feet  in  height,  and  are 
clad  with  snow;  like  the  western  chains,  they  well  deserve 
the  name  of  Alps  (white),  which  the  Celts  gave  to  these 
mountains. 

The  true  citadel  of  the  Alps— that  which,  by  the  form  of 
its  mountains,  the  number  of  its  peaks,  and  the  importance 
of  its  glaciers,  deserves  more  than  any  other  the  title  of  the 
crowning  group — is  the  mighty  rampart  of  Monte  Rosa, 
the  mean  height  of  which  is  not  less  than  13,457  feet.  The 
supreme  diadem  of  this  association  of  mountains  is  at  a 
height  of  15,216  feet,  whilst  Mont  Blanc  rises  to  15,780  feet; 
but  the  group  of  summits  which  surround  this  highest 
point/ of  Europe  averages  only  12,657  feet  in  height,  800 
5 


98 


THE  WOULD  IN  TEE  STEREOSCOPE. 


feet  less  than  the  heights  of  Monte  Rosa.  Next  follow  in 
order  of  elevation  the  groups  of  the  Jungfrau,  12,312  feet; 
the  Bernina,  11,345  feet;  the  Grison  Alps,  10,583  feet,  and 
the  Todi,  10,311  feet. 

Mont  Blanc  is  the  highest  point  of  a chain  of  peaks, 
whose  pinnacles  pierce  the  clouds,  and  many  of  which  are 
named  “ Needles,”  from  their  spiry,  needle-like  summits. 
Some  of  them  are  points  of  bare  and  almost  perpendicular 
rock,  soaring  upward  14,000  feet  from  snow  fields  and  gla- 
ciers. Other  Alpine  peaks,,  from  their  shape,  receive  the 
name  horn , like  Mount  Cervin  or  the  Matterhorn,  which 
Byron  called  the  ideal  shape  of  a mountain.  This  bold 
mass  is  about  forty  miles  from  Mont  Blanc,  and  rears  its 
lofty  pillar  of  rock  above  the  glaciers  to  an  elevation  of 
nearly  15,000  feet. 

In  the  whole  chain  of  the  Alps  not  one  object  offers  so 
striking  an  appearance  as  this  remarkable  mountain.  It  is 
called  Monte  Silvio  by  the  Italians.  The  Wetterhorn,  the 
Wellhorn,  the  vast  mass  and  snowy  head  of  the  Glarnisch, 
are  similar  summits.  The  vast  masses  of  Monte  Rosa  pre- 
sent a scene  of  savage  grandeur,  its  deep  rifts  marked  by 
lines  of  snow,  and  its  steely  glaciers  streaming  down  to  the 
icy  cave,  whence  flows  the  torrent  of  Anza. 

Taken  as  a whole,  the  various  groups  of  the  central  Alps 
decrease  in  height  from  west  to  east  and  from  south  to 
north ; their  southern  slope  is  uniformly  more  abrupt  than 
the  northern,  which  descends  in  long  branches  toward  the 
valleys  of  the  Rhone  and  the  Rhine. 

Twelve  carriage  roads,  some  of  which  may  be  reckoned 
among  the  triumphs  of  human  industry,  cross  the  ridges  of 
the  Alps,  and  form  the  means  of  communication  between 
France,  Switzerland  and  Germany;  a railway,  also,  now 
some  years  finished,  passes  to  the  east  of  the  Greater  Alps, 
through  the  Loemmering  chain.  Finally,  four  other  rail- 
way lines  are  gradually  pushing  their  way  into  the  depths 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


99 


of  the  lofty  central  mountains,  and,  ere  long,  free  commu- 
nication will  be  established  under  the  rocks  and  glaciers  of 
these  once  dreaded  summits  and  precipices. 


XXV.— DE  SATJSSTJRE’S  ASCENT  OP  MONT 
BLANC. 

Horace  De  Saussure,  the  distinguished  naturalist,  was  not 
twenty  years  old  when  he  first  dreamed  of  attacking  the 
giant  of  the  Alps.  He  is  the  first  person  known  who  cher- 
ished the  thought  of  climbing  to  its  summit.  After  waiting 
twenty-seven  years,  crowded  with  daring  but  fruitless  at- 
tempts, the  dream  of  his  life  was  realized,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  Jacques  Balmat.  It  was  on  the  1st  of  August,  1787, 
that  De  Saussure,  accompanied  by  eighteen  guides  and  a 
servant,  accomplished  the  first  ascent  of  Mont  Blanc  under- 
taken for  scientific  purposes.  The  first  day  was  spent  in 
climbing  the  Montagne  de  la  Cote,  and  they  passed  the  night 
on  its  summit. 

The  difficulties  of  our  adventurers  did  not  begin  until  the 
second  day;  for,  on  setting  out  from  the  Grand  Mulets, 
they  were  compelled  to  traverse  the  ice  and  snow.  On  this 
second  day  they  commenced  by  traversing  the  Glacier  de  la 
Cote,  a glacier  whose  passage  is  often  attended  with  much 
danger.  It  is  intersected  with  deep,  irregular  crevasses, 
often  of  great  width,  and  which  are  only  passable  upon 
bridges  of  frozen  snow  suspended  over  the  abyss.  We  give 
the  rest  of  the  account  in  De  Saussure’s  own  language : 


100  THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  despite  the  great  interest  we  all  had 
in  starting  at  an  early  hour,  the  guides  raised  so  many  dif- 
ficulties in  reference  to  the  distribution  and  arrangement  of 
their  various  burthens,  that  we  were  not  in  full  march  until 
about  half-past  six.  Each  was  afraid  of  overloading  him- 
self, less  through  dread  of  fatigue,  than  from  an  apprehen- 
sion that  he  might  sink  in  the  snow  under  too  heavy  a 
weight,  and  so  fall  into  a crevasse.  We  entered  the  gla- 
cier, face  to  face  with  the  blocks  of  granite  under  whose 
shelter  we  had  slept. 

The  approach  to  it  is  easy,  but  travelers  soon  find  them- 
selves entangled  in  a labyrinth  of  ice  rocks,  separated  by 
crevasses,  here  entirely  covered,  there  only  partially  con- 
cealed by  the  snows  which  frequently  accumulate  in  fan- 
tastic arches,  hollow  beneath,  and  yet  very  often  the  sole 
means  of  crossing ; in  other  places  a sharp  ridge  of  ice 
serves  as  a bridge  for  crossing  them.  Occasionally,  where 
the  crevasses  are  wholly  unfilled,  you  are  compelled  to  de- 
scend to  the  very  bottom,  and  afterward  to  remount  the  op- 
posite wall  by  steps  hewn  with  a hatchet  in  the  living  ice. 
But  nowhere  do  you  ever  see  the  rock ; the  bottom  is  al- 
ways ice  or  snow ; there  are  moments  when,  after  having 
descended  into  these  abysses,  surrounded  by  nearly  perpen- 
dicular walls  of  ice,  you  cannot  conceive  in  what  manner  you 
shall  escape  from  them.  While  progressing  on  the  living  ice, 
however  narrow  may  be  the  ridges,  however  steep  the  de- 
clivities, our  intrepid  mountaineers,  whose  heads  and  feet 
are  equally  sure,  seem  neither  terrified  nor  disquieted ; they 
gossip,  laugh,  jest  at  one  another;  but  in  passing  along 
those  frail  vaults,  suspended  above  profound  abysses,  one 
sees  them  march  in  the  profoundest  silence,  the  first  three 
bound  together  by  cords  at  a distance  of  five  or  six  feet  from 
each  other,  the  remainder  supporting  themselves,  two  by 
two,  by  their  staves,  their  eyes  fixed  on  their  feet,  each  person 
endeavoring  to  plant  himself  firmly  and  lightly  in  the  -track 
of  his  predecessor. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


101 


When*  after  crossing  one  of  these  suspicions  snow  tracts, 
my  caravan  found  themselves  on  a rock  of  living  ice,  an  ex- 
pression of  joy  and  serenity  brightened  every  physiognomy  ; 
the  babble  and  the  jokes  recommenced ; then  they  consulted 
what  route  it  were  best  to  follow,  and,  reassured  by  past  suc- 
cesses, exposed  themselves  with  the  greatest  confidence  to 
new  dangers.  Thus  we  spent  nearly  three  hours  in  travers- 
ing this  formidable  glacier,  although  it  was  scarcely  a 
quarter  of  a league  in  breadth. 

Thenceforth  our  progress  was  wholly  on  the  snows,  fre- 
quently rendered  very  difficult  by  the  rapidity  of  their  in- 
cline, and  sometimes  dangerous  when  these  inclines  termi- 
nated upon  precipices,  but  where,  at  all  events,  we  had  no 
dangers  to  dread  but  those  we  saw,  and  where  we  incurred 
no  risk  of  being  swallowed  up  without  either  skill  or  strength 
being  of  any  service.  On  the  second  day,  after  a thousand 
perils,  the  summit  was  reached,  and  the  wife  and  sister  at 
Chamouni  waved  a flag  of  greeting  to  the  triumphant  ex- 
plorer. 

I could  there  enjoy,  without  any  feeling  of  regret,  the 
great  spectacle  displayed  before  me.  A light  vapor,  floating 
in  the  lower  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  concealed,  it  is  true, 
the  lowest  and  most  distant  objects,  such  as  the  plains  of 
France  and  Lombardy;  but  I did  not  much  lament  this  loss ; 
for  what  I had  come  to  see,  and  what  I saw  with  marvelous 
clearness,  was  the  grand  whole  of  the  lofty  peaks  whose  or- 
ganization I had  so. long  desired  to  know.  I could  not  be- 
lieve my  eyes — it  seemed  to  me  a dream,  a vision — wdien  I 
beheld  beneath  my  feet  those  majestic  summits,  those 
formidable  spires,  whose  very  bases  had  been  so  very  diffi- 
cult and  dangerous  of  approach.  I seized  upon  their  posi- 
tions, and  a single  glance  dispelled  the  doubts  which  years 
of  labor  had  been  unable  to  solve. 

Meanwhile,  my  guides  were  raising  my  tent,  and  prepar- 
ing the  little  table  on  which  I intended  to  experiment  with 
boiling  water.  But  when  I set  to  work  to  arrange  my  in-. 


102 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


struments  and  take  my  observations,  I found  myself  every 
moment  compelled  to  interrupt  my  work  and  give  all  my 
thoughts  to  the  actual  labor  of  breathing.  If  the  reader  re- 
flects that  the  barometer  was  here  at  16  inches  1 line  only, 
and  that  the  air  was  not  at  above  half  its  ordinary  density, 
he  will  understand  how  I was  forced  to  supplement  the 
density  by  frequency  of  respiration  ; while  at  the  same  time, 
this  frequency  so  accelerated  the  movement  of  the  blood 
that  the  arteries  were  no  longer  counterbalanced  externally 
by  a pressure  equal  to  that  which  they  usually  experience. 
Therefore  we  were  all  attacked  with  fever. 

While  I remained  perfectly  tranquil,  I experienced  but  a 
slight  uneasiness,  a tendency  to  pain  about  the  heart.  But 
when  I used  any  exertion,  or  when  I fixed  my  attention  for 
a few  consecutive  moments,  and  especially  when  in  stooping 
I contracted  my  chest,  I was  obliged  to  rest,  and  take 
breath,  for  two  or  three  minutes.  My  guides  experienced 
similar  sensations.  No  sign  of  animal  life  was  apparent  near 
the  frozen  peak  of  the  Alpine  giant.  Two  butterflies  which 
fluttered  across  the  last  incline  of  the  mountain,  about  650 
feet  beneath  its  summit,  were  the  only  living  creatures 
which  our  explorers  encountered  in  those  silent  and  lonely 
deserts.  It  is  probable  that  a gust  of  wind  from  the  plain 
had  carried  them  to  this  unwonted  elevation. 

The  slight  intensity  of  sound  on  lofty  mountains  is  easily 
explained  by  the  rarefaction  of  the  air;  this  rarefaction, 
diminishing  the  mass  of  the  air,  necessarily  diminishes  the 
intensity  of  its  vibrations.  On  an  isolated  peak,  the  absence 
of  echoes  is  another  cause  which  reduces  the  force  of  the 
sound.  The  human  voice  consequently  seems  very  feeble  on 
Mont  Blanc ; the  discharge  of  a pistol  makes  no  greater 
report  than  a small  cracker. 

The  intrepid  explorers  of  Mont  Blanc  were  incessantly  in 
a feverish  condition,  which  explains  the  thirst  that  tor- 
mented them,  as  well  as  their  antipathy  to  wine,  strong 
liquors  and  even  to  any  kind  of  food.  They  longed  only  for 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


103 


cold  water,  and  nothing  else  would  they  endure;  eating 
snow  did  but  increase  their  pain.  However,  when  they  kept 
themselves  perfectly  tranquil,  they  did  not  suffer  seriously. 
Some  of  the  guides  and  men  engaged  in  the  expedition 
could  not  endure  so  many  varieties  of  torture ; they  were 
compelled  to  descend  to  a more  condensed  air. 

I quitted,  with  great  reluctance,  at  half-past  three,  this 
magnificent  place.  We  passed  near  the  spot  where,  on  the 
preceding  night,  we  had,  if  not  slept,  at  least  reposed,  and 
we  pushed  forward  another  league  to  the  rock  in  whose 
vicinity  we  had  halted  in  our  ascent. 

I determined  to  pass  the  night  there.  1 caused  my  tent 
to  be  raised  against  the  southern  extremity  of  the  rock,  in  a 
truly  singular  situation.  It  stood  on  a snowy  declivity 
overshadowed  by  the  Dome  du  Gouter,  with  its  crown  of 
pinnacles,  and  terminating  southward  in  the  peak  of  Mont 
Blanc.  At  the  bottom  of  this  declivity  yawned  a broad  and 
deep  crevasse,  which  separated  us  from  the  valley,  and 
swallowed  up  everything  that  fell  in  the  neighborhood  of 
our  tent.  We  had  chosen  this  position  in  order  to  escape 
the  peril  of  the  avalanches,  and  because,  the  guides  finding 
shelter  in  the  gaps  of  the  rocks,  we  were  not  crowded  within 
the  tent  as  on  the  preceding  night. 

We  supped  merrily  and  with  a good  appetite;  after 
which  I passed  an  excellent  night  on  my  little  mattress.  It 
was  then  only  that  I enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  having  ac- 
complished the  design  which  I had  formed  twenty-seven 
years  previously — namely,  on  my  first  visit  to  Chamouni, 
in  1760;  a design  which  I had  so  often  abandoned  and  re- 
sumed, and  which  had  been  a continual  source  of  anxiety 
and  disquietude  to  my  family.  It  had,  indeed,  become  with 
me  a species  of  disease ; my  eyes  never  rested  upon  Mont 
Blanc,  which  was  visible  from  so  many  points  near  my 
dwelling,  without  my  undergoing  a fresh  attack  of  melan- 
choly. 

At  the  moment  that  I attained  the  summit,  my  gratifica- 


104 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


tion  was  not  complete;  it  was  still  less  so  when  I was  about 
to  commence  my  descent,  for,  until  then,  I only  realized  how 
much  I had  been  unable  to  complete.  But,  in  the  silence 
of  the  night,  and  after  thoroughly  recovering  from  my 
fatigue,  when  I recalled  the  observations  I had  made,  and 
especially  when  I retraced  the  splendid  picture  of  the 
mountains,  eternally  imprinted  on  my  brain. 


XXVI. — THE  ALPS. 

Proud  monuments  of  God ! sublime  ye  stand 
Among  the  wonders  of  His  mighty  hand ; 

With  summits  soaring  in  the  upper  sky. 

Where  the  broad  day  looks  down  with  burning  eye. 
Where  gorgeous  clouds  in  solemn  pomp  repose, 
Flinging  rich  shadows  on  eternal  snows  ; 

Piles  of  triumphant  dust,  ye  stand  alone. 

And  hold,  in  kingly  state,  a peerless  throne  ! 

Like  olden  conquerors,  on  high  ye  rear 
The  regal  ensign  and  the  glittering  spear ; 

Round  icy  spires  the  mists,  in  wreaths  unrolled. 
That  ever  near,  in  purple  or  rn  gold ; 

And  yoicefnl  torrents,  sternly  rolling  there. 

Fill  with  wild  music  the  unpillar’d  air  ; 

What  garden,  or  what  hall  on  earth  beneath, 

Thrills  to  such  tones  as  o’er  the  mountains  breathe  ? 

There,  through  long  ages  past,  those  summits  shone, 
When  morning  radiance  on  their  state  was  thrown ; 
There,  when  the  summer  day’s  career  was  done. 
Played  the  last  glory  of  the  sinking  sun ; 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


105 


There,  sprinkling  lustre  o'er  the  cataract’s  shade, 

The  chastened  moon  her  glittering  rainbow  made, 
And  blent  with  pictured  stars,  her  lustre  lay, 

Where  to  still  vales  the  free  streams  leaped  away. 

Where  are  the  thronging  hosts  of  other  days. 

Whose  banners  floated  o’er  the  Alpine  ways ; 

Who,  through  their  high  defiles,  to  battle  wound, 
"While  deadly  ordnance  stirred  the  heights  around  ? 
Gone;  like  the  dream  that  melts  at  early  dawn, 
When  the  lark’s  anthem  through  the  sky  is  borne ; 
Gon®  ; like  the  wrecks  that  sink  in  ocean’s  spray, 
And  chill  oblivion  murmurs,  where  are  they  ? 

Yet  “ Alps  on  Alps  ” still  rise ; the  lofty  home 
Of  storms  and  eagles,  where  their  pinions  roam ; 

Still  round  their  peaks  the  magic  colors  lie, 

Of  morn  and  eve,  imprinted  on  the  sky  ; 

And  still,  while  kings  and  thrones  shall  fade  and  fall. 
And  empty  crowns  lie  down  upon  the  pall, 

Still  shall  their  glaciers  flash ; their  torrents  roar, 
Till  kingdoms  fall,  and  nations  rise  no  more. 


XXVII.— VALE  AND  MOUNT. 

While  all  human  structures  crumble  away  and  disappear, 
many  of  the  works  of  nature  live  on  changeless  and  inde- 
structible forever.  There  is,  moreover,  a beauty  in  the 
rugged  variety  of  natural  scenery  which  the  skill  of  man  can 
never  successfully  imitate*.  Some  of  the  European  moun- 
tain scenery  has  justly  acquired  the  admiration  of  rnanv 
5* 


106  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

generations,  and  particularly  is  it  the  case  with  some  regions 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Alps: 

“The  palaces  of  Nature  ! whose  vast  walls 
Have  pinnacled  in  clouds  their  snowy  scalps, 

And  throned  Eternity  in  icy  halls 
Of  cold  sublimity ; where  forms  and  falls 
The  avalanche — the  thunderbolt  of  snow .! 

All  that  expands  the  spirit,  yet  appals. 

Gather  around  these  summits,  as  to  show 

How  Earth  may  pierce  to  Heaven,  yet  leave  vain  man  below !” 

Descending  the  Alps  on  the  Italian  side,  through  the  pass 
of  the  St.  Bernard,  beautiful,  indeed,  and  rich  in  all  the  glo- 
ries of  picturesque  grandeur,  is  the  scenery  of  the  country 
we  pass  through.  The  vale  of  Aosta,  with  its  treliised  vine 
and  luxuriant  vegetation,  relieved  by  the  back-ground,  filled 
with  the  beautiful  forms  reflected  by  the  snowy  tops-of  the 
mountains,  render  interesting  and  delightful  our  entrance 
into  the  city  of  Aosta.  This  contains  about  7,000  inhabi- 
tants, and  is  remarkable  for  its  antiquities  and  historical 
recollections,  and  for  the  beautiful  scenery  surrounding  it  on 
every  side.  Its  foundation  is  set  down  as  being  406  years 
earlier  than  that  of  Borne.  Twenty  years  before  Christ,  its 
inhabitants  were  reduced  to  captivity  by  the  Emperor 
Augustus,  who  gave  his  own  name  to  it— a name  which  has 
been  softened  by  the  Italians  into  the  present  one  of  Aosta. 

The  valley  of  Lauterbrunnen  is  remarkable  for  its  depth, 
its  contracted  width*  and  for  the  precipices  of  limestone, 
nearly  vertical,  which  enclose  it  like  walls.  Its  name,  literally 
translated,  means  “ nothing  but  fountains,”  and  is  derived  no 
doubt  from  the  number  of  streamlets  which  cast  themselves 
headlong  from  the  brows  of  the  cliffs  into  the  valley  below, 
looking  at  a distance  like  so  many  pendulous  white  threads. 
Here  is  the  Staubbach,  the  most  celebrated  of  European 
waterfalls.  There  are  other  cascades  that  are  worthy  of 
note*  and  among  them  the  Schmadribach.  This  is  a large 


THE  .WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


107 


body  of  water  which,  issuing  from  a glacier,  throws  itself 
over  a precipice  of  great  height,  and  after  two  more  leaps  of 
great  beauty,  reaches  the  bottom  of  the  valley.  Not  far  from 
here  the  Yungfrau  veils  its  lofty  summit  in  eternal  snows. 

In  a secluded  valley  near  Appenzell,  Switzerland,  stands 
the  singular  hermitage  and  chapel  of  Wildkirchlein.  It  is 
reached  by  crossing  an  Alpine  pasture  which,  in  spite  of  its 
elevation  of  5,000  feet  above  the  sea,  is  in  summer  a perfect 
garden,  unfolding  a treasure  to  the  botanist  and  affording 
the  sweetest  herbage  to  the  cattle.  In  a recess  scooped  out 
of  the  face  of  a precipice,  170  feet  above  these  pastures,  a 
little  chapel  has  been  perched.  It  was  built  in  1756  and 
dedicated  to  Saint  Michael.  A bearded  Capuchin  occupies 
the  hermitage  adjoining,  and  willingly  conducts  strangers 
through  the  long  caverns,  hung  with  stalactites,  which  per- 
forate, the  mountain  behind  his  dwelling. 

The  Sarnthal  is  a very  picturesque  little  valley  in  the 
Tyrolese  Alps,  down  which  rushes  the  brook  Talfer.  At 
one  end  of  the  valley  is  the  important  commercial  town  of 
Bozen,  delightfully  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Eisack 
and  the  Talfer,  which  descends  from  the  Sarnthal  from  the 
north.  A very  interesting  walk  is  by  the  Sarner  road 
through  the  Sarnthal.  It  passes  a number  of  old  feudal 
castles,  partly  in  ruins,  that  lend  an  air  of  romance  to  the 
quiet  scene. 


XXVIII. — THE  GIANT’S  CAUSEWAY. 

On  the  northern  coast  of  Antrim,  in  Ireland,  at  a point 
about  fifteen  miles  from  Coleraine,  a species  of  pier,  or 
mole,  of  basalt  projects  into  the  stormy  ocean,  as  if  origi- 


108  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 

nally  intended  to  connect  the  Irish  shore  with  that  of  Scot- 
land. It  is.  in  reality,  but  a part  of  the  extensive  basaltic 
mass,  from  300  to  500  feet  in  thickness,  which  overspreads 
almost  the  whole  county  of  Antrim  and*  the  east  of  Lon- 
donderry for  a total  extent  of  1,200  square  miles.  Three 
layers  of  the  basalt,  where  it  touches  the  coast,  bear  a re- 
markable columnar  appearance.  The  first  is  seen  at  the 
promontory  of  Fair  Head,  where  the  massive  pillars  are 
truly  cyclopean  in  character,  and  upwards  of  2,000  feet 
high.  The  other  two  rise  above  the  sea-land  at  Bengore 
Head;  the  lower  forming  the  Causeway,  and  exhibiting 
above  the  surging  waters  and  the  shining  diamond-spray, 
an  irregular  pavement — fit  place  for  sea-nymphs  to  disport 
— composed  of  the  tops  of  many  sided  columns,  fitted  to- 
gether with  such  admirable  exactitude  that  the  blade  of  a 
knife  can  scarcely  be  thrust  between  them.  The  average 
diameter  of  each  pillar  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches. 
The  Causeway  is  divided  into  the  Large,  Middle,  and  Little 
Causeways ; the  former  is  the  lowest  of  the  three  columnar 
beds,  about  30  feet  wide  and  600  feet  in  length.  The  Mid- 
dle Causeway,  commonly  called  the  Honey  Comb,  lies  back 
of  the  Little  Causeway.  The  chief  object  of  attraction  is 
the  Grand  Causeway,  which  is  formed  of  the  upper  surface 
of  the  first  or  lowest  range  of  columnar  basalt  laid  bare. 
The  ends  of  the  pillars  may  be  distinctly  traced,  both  on  the 
east  and  west  ends  of  the  Causeway,  resting  on  an  ochre  bed. 

The  Causeway,  properly  so-called,  consists  of  three  piers 
jutting  out  into  the  sea,  the  greater  being  visible  to  the 
extent  of  300  yards  at  low  water ; the  other  two  not  more 
than  half  that  distance.  The  cliffs  connected  with  the 
Causeway,  especially  in  the  bay  to  the  eastward,  exhibit  in 
many  places  the  same  kind  of  columns,  shaped  and  jointed 
in  all  respects  like  those  of  the  Grand  Causeway.  Some  of 
them  are  seen  near  the  top  of  the  cliffs,  which,  in  those  bays 
to  the  east  and  west  of  the  Causeway,  range  from  140  to  490 
feet  in  height;  others  again  are  observed  about  midway, 
and  at  different  elevations  from  the  strand. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


109 


Some  of  the  columns  are  between  30  and  40  feet  high, 
and,  being  longest  in  the  middle  of  the  arrangement,  and 
shortening  on  either  hand,  they  have  obtained  the  appella- 
tion of  “ Organs/5  from  a rude  likeness  to  the  frontal  tubes 
of  those  instruments.  To  the  geologist,  the  mineralogist, 
or  the  observer  of  nature  in  her  more  singular  and  fantastic 
moods,  the  Giant’s  Causeway  and  its  neighborhood  is  of  sur- 
passing interest. 


XXIX.— AN  ENGLISHMAN’S  VIEW  OF  THE  CITY 
OF  WASHINGTON. 

The  City  of  Washington  is  something  more  than  four 
miles  long,  and  is  something  more  than  two  miles  broad. 
The  land  apportioned  to  it  is  nearly  as  compact  as  may  be, 
and  it  exceeds  in  area  the  size  of  a parallelogram  four  miles 
long  by  two  broad.  These  dimensions  are  adequate  for  a 
noble  city,  for  a city  to  contain  a million  of  inhabitants. 
It  is  impossible  to  state  with  accuracy  the  actual  population 
of  Washington,  for  it  fluctuates  exceedingly.  Three  ave- 
nues sweep  the  whole  length  of  Washington : Virginia  Ave- 
nue, Pennsylvania  Avenue,  and  Massachusetts  Avenue. 
But  Pennsylvania  Avenue  is  the  only  one  known  to  ordi- 
nary men,  and  the  half  of  that  only  is  so  known.  This 
avenue  is  the  back-bone  of  the  city,  and  those  streets  which 
are  really  inhabited  cluster  round  that  half  of  it  which  runs 
westward  from  the  Capitol.  The  eastern  end,  running  from 
the  front  of  the  Capitol,  is  again  a desert. 


110 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


The  plan  of  the  city  is  somewhat  complicated.  It  may 
truly  be  called  “ a mighty  maze,  but  not  without  a plan.” 
The  Capitol  was  intended  to  be  the  center  of  the  city.  It 
faces  eastward,  away  from  the  Potomac — or  rather  from 
the  main  branch  of  the  Potomac,  and  also,  unfortunately, 
from  the  main  body  of  the  town.  It  turns  its  back  upon 
the  chief  thoroughfare,  upon  the  whole  place.  Of  course 
it  is  generally  known  that  in  the  Capitol  is  the  chamber 
of  the  Senate,  that  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  the 
Supreme  Judicial  Court  of  the  Union. 

It  may  be  said  that  there  are  two  centers  in  Washington, 
this  being  one  and  the  President’s  house  the  other.  At 
these  centers  the  main  avenues  are  supposed  to  cross  each 
other,  which  avenues  are  called  by  the  names  of  the  re- 
spective States.  At  the  Capitol,  Pennsylvania  Avenue, 
New  Jersey  Avenue,  Delaware  Avenue,  and  Maryland  Ave- 
nue converge.  They  come  from  one  extremity  of  the  city 
to  the  square  of  the  Capitol  on  one  side,  and  run  out  from 
the  other  side  of  it  to  the  other  extremity  of  the  city. 

Pennsylvania  Avenue,  New  York  Avenue,  Vermont  Ave- 
nue, and  Connecticut  Avenue  do  the  same  at  what  is  gene- 
rally called  President’s  Square.  All  these  avenues  have  a 
slanting  direction.  They  are  so  arranged  that  none  of  them 
run  north  and  south,  or  east  and  west ; but  the  streets,  so 
called,  all  run  in  accordance  with  the  points  of  the  com- 
pass. Such  is  the  plan  of  the  city,  that  being  the  arrange- 
ment and  those  the  dimensions  intended  by  the  original 
architects  and  founders  of  Washington;  but  the  inhabit- 
ants have  hitherto  confined  themselves  to  Pennsylvania 
Avenue  West,  and  to  the  streets  abutting  from  it  or  near  to 
it.  The  streets  of  "Washington,  such  as  exist,  are  all  broad. 
Throughout  the  town  there  are  open  space — spaces,  I 
mean,  intended  to  be  open  by  the  plan  laid  down  for  the 
city.  At  the  present  moment  it  is  almost  all  open  space. 

There  are  six  principal  public  buildings  in  Washington, 
as  to  which  no  expense  seems  to  have  been  spared,  and  in 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Ill 


the  construction  of  which  a certain  amount  of  success  has 
been  obtained.  In  most  of  these  this  success  has  been  more 
or  less  marred  by  an  independent  deviation  from  recognized 
rules  of  architectural  taste.  These  are  the  Capitol,  the  Post- 
office,  the  Patent-office,  the  Treasury,  the  President’s  house, 
and  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  The  five  first  are  Gre- 
cian, and  the  last  Romanesque.  Going  west,  but  not  due 
west,  from  the  Capitol,  Pennsylvania  Avenue  stretches  in  a 
straight  line  to  the  Treasury  chambers.  This  reach  of 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  is  the  quarter  for  the  best  shops  of 
Washington — that  is  to  say,  the  frequented  side  of  it  is  so, 
that  side  which  is  on  your  right  as  you  leave  the  Capitol. 

The  Post-office  and  Patent-office  lie  a little  way  from 
Pennsylvania  Avenue,  in  P Street,  and  are  opposite  to  each 
other.  The  Post-office  is  certainly  a very  graceful  building. 
It  is  square,  and  hardly  can  be  said  to  have  any  settled  front 
or  any  grand  entrance.  It  is  not  approached  by  steps,  but 
stands  flush  on  the  ground,  alike  on  each  of  the  four  sides. 
It  is  ornamented  with  Corinthian  pilasters,  but  is  not  over 
ornamented.  It  is  certainly  a structure  creditable  to  any 
city.  Opposite  to  the  Post-office  stands  the  Patent-office. 
This  also  is  a grand  building,  with  a fine  portico  of  Doric 
pillars  at  each  of  its  three  fronts.  The  whole  structure  is 
massive  and  grand,  and,  if  the  streets  round  it  were  finished, 
would  be  imposing.  The  utilitarian  spirit  of  the  nation  has, 
however,  done  much  toward  marring  the  appearance  of  the 
building,  by  piercing  it  with  windows  altogether  unsuited 
to  it,  both  in  number  and  size. 


112 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


XXX.— THE  PYRAMIDS  AND  SPHINX. 

The  pyramids  of  Egypt  have  been  frequently  mentioned 
by  ancient  and  modern  writers ; but  the  statements  of  the 
former  respecting  their  founders  are  far  from  satisfactory, 
and  no  conjectures  seem  to  explain  the  object  for  which 
they  were  erected.  According  to  Herodotus,  the  founder 
of  the  great  pyramid  was  Cheops,  a prince  whose  crimes 
and  tyranny  made  his  name  odious  even  to  posterity.  He 
compelled  100,000  men  to  work  on  the  pyramid  until  its 
completion,  which  was  not  for  20  years. 

This  pyramid  was  built  in  steps,  and,  as  the  work  pro- 
ceeded, the  stones  were  raised  from  the  ground  by  means 
of  machines  made  of  short  pieces  of  wood.  The  ascent  of 
the  pyramids  is  by  no  means  difficult,  though  fatiguing  to 
some  unaccustomed  to  climbing,  from  the  height  of  the 
stones.  On  the  summit  is  a space  about  32  feet  square, 
which  is  much  larger  than  formerly,  having  been  increased 
when  the  casing  and  outer  tiers  were  removed  by  the  Ca- 
liphs, to  serve  for  the  construction  of  mosques  at  Cairo. 
The  mania  for  writing  names  is  abundantly  manifested  in 
the  number  inscribed  on  the  top  of  this  monument. 

The  view  from  the  summit  is  extensive,  and,  during  the  in- 
undation, peculiarly  interesting  and  characteristic  of  Egypt 
The  masonry  over  the  entrance  of  the  great  pyramid  is  re- 
markable; two  large  blocks  resting  against  each  other  form 
a pent-roof  arch,  and  serve  to  take  off  the  superincumbent 
weight  from  the  roof  of  the  passages.  The  principal  apart- 
ment in  the  interior  is  the  great  gallery.  Its  dimensions 
are  34  feet  long,  17  feet  broad,  and  19  feet  high.  The  roof 
is  flat  and  formed  of  simple  blocks  of  granite  resting  on  the 
side  walls,  which  are  built  of  the  same  materials.  Towards 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


113 


the  upper  end  is  a sarcophagus  of  the  same  kind  of  red 
granite.  On  being  struck  it  emits  a fine  sound,  as  of  a 
deep-toned  bell. 

Besides  the  great  gallery,  there  are  the  King’s  Chamber, 
and  four  smaller  ones  directly  oyer  it.  At  the  bottom  of 
the  great  gallery  is  a passage  partly  vertical,  called  “the 
well,”  which  is, now  closed.  It  connects  the  gallery  with 
the  lower  passage,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  means 
of  egress  to  the  workmen  who  had  stopped  up  all  other 
passages.  The  pyramid  is  remarkably  free  from  any  relics 
of  interest,  which  is  the  more  remarkable  on  account  of  its 
having  been  carefully  sealed  up  by  its  founders. 

It  was  first  opened  by  Caliph  Mamoon,  in  the  year  820 
A.  D.;  and  the  long  forced  passage  to  the  west,  below  the 
level  of  the  present  entrance,  is  supposed  to  have  been  made 
at  that  time.  The  object  of  the  Caliph  was  the  discovery 
of  treasure.  Tradition  says  that  after  long  and  patient 
labor,  they  gained  access  to  the  place  of  the  wished-for  trea- 
sures, and  great  hopes  were  entertained  of  finding  a rich 
reward  for  their  toil.  But  these  hopes  were  doomed  to  end 
in  disappointment.  The  pyramid  was  empty;  and  the 
Caliph,  in  order  to  appease  the  disappointment  of  the  peo- 
ple, secretly  placed  a bag  of  gold  in  the  pyramid;  and  the 
subsequent  discovery  of  the  supposed  treasure  satisfied  the 
people. 

The  Sphinx,  situated  near  the  great  pyramid,  is  a stu- 
pendous figure  cut  in  solid  rock,  part  only  of  the  back 
being  cased  with  stone,  where  the  rock  is  defective.  The 
whole  is  solid  with  the  exception  of  the  forelegs,  which, 
with  the  small  portion  above  mentioned,  are  of  hewn  stone; 
nor  is  there  any  pedestal  but  a paved  platform  on  which 
the  paws  rest.  They  extend  to  the  distance  of  50  feet.  An 
altar,  three  tablets,  and  a lion  were  discovered  there ; but 
no  entrance  could  be'  discovered  in  that  part.  The  altar 
stands  between  the  two  paws;  and  it  is  evident,  from  its 
position,  that  sacrifices  were  performed  before  the  Sphinx 
in  remote  times. 


114 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


The  pyramids  of  Lakkara  are  worthy  of  a visit,  and  hold 
a conspicuous  position  among  the  “many  pyramids  on  the 
brow  of  the  hills,”  mentioned  by  Strabo.  The  largest  pyra- 
mid of  Lakkara  has  its  degrees,  or  steps,  stripped  of  their 
triangular  exterior.  It  measures  about  350  feet  square. 
Within,  it  resembles  a hollow  dome,  supported  here  and 
there  by  wooden  rafters.  At  the  end  of  the  passage  is  a 
small  chamber,  reopened  about  35  years  ago,  on  whose  door- 
day  were  hieroglyphics  containing  the  banner  or  title  of 
some  very  old  king.  All  had  been  carefully  closed  and  con- 
cealed by  masonry,  but  the  treasures  it  contained,  if  any, 
had  long  since  been  removed. 

The  stone  pyramids  of  Dashoor  have  their  entrances  on 
the  north.  The  peculiarity  about  one  of  them  is  that  it 
was  finished  at  a different  angle  from  the  lower  part ; and 
this  being  the  only  pyramid  of  this  form,  it  is  supposed 
that  the  builders  depressed  the  angle  in  order  more  speedily 
to  complete  it,  for  had  it  retained  its  original  form  it  would 
have  been  considerably  higher. 


XXXI. — REFLECTIONS  FROM  THE  SUMMIT  OF  AN 
EGYPTIAN  PYRAMID. 

Throned  on  the  sepulchre  of  mighty  kings, 

Whose  dust  in  solemn  silence  sleeps  below, 

Till  that  great  day,  when  sublunary  things 
Shall  pass  away,  e’en  as  the  April  bow 
Fades  from  the  gazer  s eye,  and  leaves  no  trace 
Of  its  bright  colors,  or  its  former  place ; — 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


115 


I gaze  in  sadness  o’er  the  scenery  wild, — 

On  scattered  groups  of  palms,  and  seas  of  sand, — 

On  the  wide  desert,  and  the  desert’s  child, — 

On  ruins  made  by  Time’s  destructive  hand 
On  Temples,  towers,  and  columns  now  laid  low, — 

A land  of  crime,  of  tyranny,  and  woe. 

O Egypt ! Egypt ! how  art  thou  debased  ! — 

A Moslem  slave  upon  Busin’s  throne  ! 

And  all  thy  splendid  monuments  defaced ! 

Long,  long  beneath  his  iron  rod  shall  groan 
Thy  hapless  children ; thou  hast  had  thy  day. 

And  all  thy  glories  now  have  passed  away. 

Oh  ! could  thy  princely  dead  rise  from  their  graves, 
And  view  with  me  the  changes  Time  has  wrought, 

A land  of  ruins,  and  a race  of  slaves, 

Where  Vvdsdom  flourished,  and  where  sages  taught, — 
A scene  of  desolation,  mental  night  !— 

How  would  they  shrink  with  horror  from  the  sight ! * 

Ancient  of  days  ! nurse  of  fair  science,  arts ! 

All  that  refines  and  elevates  mankind  ! 

Where  are  thy  palaces,  and  where  thy  marts. 

Thy  glorious  cities,  and  thy  men  of  mind  ? 

Forever  gone  ! — the  very  names  they  bore, 

The  sites  they  occupied,  are  now  no  more. 

But  why  lament,  since  such  must  ever  be 
The  fate  of  human  greatness,  human  pride  ? 

E’en  those  who  mourn  the  loudest  over  thee 
Are  drifting  headlong  down  the  rapid  tide. 

That  sweeps,  resistless,  to  the  yawning  grave 
All  that  is  great  and  good,  or  wise  and  brave. 

E’en  thou,  proud  fabric  ! whence  I now  survey 
Scenes  so  afflicting  to  the  feeling  heart, 

Despite  thy  giant  strength,  must  sink  the  prey 
Of  hoary  age,  and  all  thy  fame  depart ; 

In  vain  thy  head,  aspiring,  scales  the  sky, — 

Prostrate  in  dust  that  lofty  head  must  lie. 


116 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 

The  soul  alone, — tiie  precious  boon  of  Heaven, — 

Can  fearless  brave  of  time  and  fate  the  rage. 

When  to  thy  deep  foundations  thou  art  riven ; 

Yea,  Egypt ! blotted  from  th’  historic  page, 

She  shall  survive,  shall  ever,  ever  bloom. 

In  radiant  youth,  triumphant  o’er  the  tomb. 


XXXII.— SINAI  AND  NUBIA. 

Among  the  most  attractive  points  of  interest  in  the  East 
is  Mount  Serbal  in  the  Sinaitic  peninsula,  which  is  consid- 
ered by  many  scholars  and  travelers  to  be  the  true  Sinai  of 
the  Bible.  The  mountain  itself  is  even  more  grand  and 
striking  in  outline  than  its  honored  neighbor.  It  rises  high 
above  the  neighboring  summits, — “all  in  lilac  hues  and 
purple  shadows, ” — as  the  morning  sun  sheds  upon  it  his 
bright  beams.  It  is  a vast  mass  of  peaks,  which,  in  most 
points  of  view,  may  be  reduced  to  five.  These  are  all  of 
granite,  and  rise  so  precipitously,  so  column-like,  from  the 
broken  ground  which  forms  the  roots  of  the  mountain,  as 
at  first  sight  to  appear  inaccessible.  They  may  be  best 
likened  to  a cluster  of  stalactites  inverted. 

The  peaks  are  divided  by  deep  ravines  filled  with  huge 
fragments  of  shattered  rock;  by  the  central  ravine  the 
active  traveler  may  gain  the  summit  in  less  than  four  hours. 
The  glorious  view  will  amply  repay  the  toil.  The  highest 
peak  is  a huge  block  of  granite ; on  this,  as  on  the  back  of 
some  petrified  tortoise,  you  stand  and  overlook  the  whole 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE.  117 

peninsula  of  Sinai.  The  Red  Sea,  with  the  Egyptian  hills 
opposite,  and  the  wide  waste  of  the  desert  on  the  south ; on 
the  east  the  vast  cluster  of  what  is  commonly  called  Sinai, 
and  towering  above  all,  the  less  famous  but  most  magnifi- 
cent of  all,  the  Mont  Blanc  of  those  parts,  the  unknown  and 
un visited  Um  Shaumer.  Every  feature  of  the  extraordinary 
conformation  lies  before  you. 

Near  this  point  is  the  delicious  valley  Eeiran,  with  its 
bushy  palms.  The  road  winds  through  the  “Wady  Mukat- 
teb”  or  written  valley,  and  a lofty  sandstone  cliff  stands  at 
the  entrance.  Its  breadth  is  about  400  yards,  and  it  has  at 
first  but  little  vegetation.  After  about  three  hours  of 
travel,  however,  the  valley  contracts  and  the  eye  is  refreshed 
by  the  sight  of  palm  groves  and  verdant  gardens.  About  a 
mile  further  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  village  may  be  seen  on 
a mountain  to  the  left.  Half  an  hour  after  passing  this 
place  we  enter  another  and  much  larger  palm  grove,,  with 
whose  graceful  branches  the  tamarask  mingles.  A little 
streamlet  winds  through  the  thicket ; hoary  tottering  ruins 
cling  to  the  rugged  acclivities  around ; and  the  dark  open- 
ings of  rock-hewn  hermitages  dot  the  cliffs  overhead. 

Ezion-geber  is  mentioned  in  the  Bible  as  being  on  the 
route  of  the  Israelites  on  their  return  from  Kadesh  (Deut. 
11,  8).  It  was  chiefly  remarkable  afterward  from  the  im- 
portance attached  to  it  in  the  time  of  Solomon,  and  from 
having  been  the  channel  by  which  the  treasures  of  Arabia 
and  India  flowed  to  Syria.  It  was  the  possession  of  this 
point  that  led  to  the  wealth  of  Solomon ; and  it  is  curious 
to  observe  how  every  place  has  successively  risen  to  impor- 
tance the  moment  it  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  the  Indian 
trade.  Solomon  is  said  to  have  “made  a navy  of  ships  at. 
Ezion-geber,  which  is  beside  Eloth,  on  the  shore  of  the  Red 
Sea,  in  the  land  of  Edom.”  The  ships  were  navigated  by 
the  Phoenicians  in  the  service  of  the  Jewish  king,  whose 
friendship  with  Hiram  secured  for  him  the  aid  of  those  skill- 
ful navigators.  The  city  afterwards  lost  its  importance 


118 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


under  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  The  country  thereabout  is 
very  rocky  and  most  of  the  travel  is  done  on  dromedaries. 

The  country  of  Nubia,  though  little  explored,  has  been 
found  to  contain  many  ruins  of  a remote  date.  Those  of 
Sabooa  are  of  the  early  epoch  of  Ramases  the  Great.  They 
consist  of  sculptures  and  monuments  and  the  remains  of  a 
temple,  the  latter  of  which  is  built  of  sandstone,  with  the 
exception  of  the  altar,  which  is  excavated  in  the  rock. 
There  are  besides  eight  sculptured  sphinxes  and  two  monu- 
ments with  statues  partly  sculptured  from  them.  Much  of 
the  temple  is  covered  by  the  drifted  sand. 


XXXIII.— HEIGHTS  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND. 

The  mountains  of  Palestine  are  interesting  more  from 
their  sacred  associations  than  from  their  height  and  gran- 
deur. The  Galilean  hills  show  a jagged  outline  of  varied 
vegetation  and  high  upland  hollows;  they  often  contain 
green  basins  of  table  land  just  below  their  topmost  ridges. 
In  such  a position  stands  Nazareth,  encircled  by  its 
rounded  hills.  Mount  Tabor  towers  like  a dome  above  the 
surrounding  country,  with  an  oval  plain  for  its  summit. 
About  six  miles  southward  lies  the  ridge  of  little  Hermon, 
a desert,  shapeless  mass.  Further  south  we  come  upon  the 
elevated  tract  of  Gilboa. 

Many  of  the  hills  of  Samaria  are  beautifully  wooded,  and 
Ebal  and  Gerizim,  its  chief  mountains,  are  separated  by  a 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


119 


narrow  and  deep  valley,  at  the  end  of  which  lies  the  white 
town  of  Nablous  (Shechem)  embosomed  in  verdure.  The 
Judean  mountains  are  rugged,  and  the  ancient  terraces 
have  been  washed  down,  leaving  the  dry  rock  bare  and 
desolate.  Through  the  wild  and  melancholy  region  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  the  mountains  seem  to  have  been  loosened  from 
their  foundations,  and  rent  in  pieces  by  some  terrible  con- 
vulsion, and  the  look  of  the  whole  region  is  peculiarly  sav- 
age and  dreary.  Further  south,  the  desolation  increases, 
the  valleys  are  narrower,  and  the  hills  more  bare  and  rug- 
ged, till  their  dreary  aspect  shows  the  approach  of  the 
desert.  ' The  famous  mountain  group  of  Sinai  lies  beyond 
the  desert  where  the  Israelites  wandered,  in  the  peninsula 
between  the  gulfs  of  Akabah  and  Suez.  This  celebrated 
region  is  of  the  utmost  interest,  both  from,  its  history  and 
its  wonderful  scenery;  and  we  gather  from  Stanley  and 
others  a somewhat  detailed  description  of  its  appearance. 

The  peninsula  of  Mount  Sinai  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able districts  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  combines  the 
three  grand  features  of  earthly  scenery — the  sea,  the  desert, 
and  the  mountains.  The  great  limestone  range  of  Syria, 
which  begins  in  the  north  from  Lebanon,  and  extends 
through  the  whole  of  Palestine,  terminates  on  the  south  in 
a wide  table-land,  which  reaches  eastward  far  into  Arabia 
Petraea,  and  westward  far  into  Africa. 

At  the  point  where  the  rocky  mass  descends  from  Pales- 
tine, another  element  falls  in,  which  at  once  gives  it  a char- 
acter distinct  from  mountainous  tracts  in  other  parts  of  the 
world — namely,  that  waterless  region  which  extends  from 
the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  those  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  under 
the  familiar  name  of  the  Desert.  However  much  the  other 
mountains  of  the  Peninsula  vary  in  form  or  height,  the 
mountains  of  the  Teh  are  always  alike ; always  faithful  to 
their  tabular  outline  and  blanched  desolation.  The  plateau 
of  the  Teh  is  succeeded  by  the  sandstone  mountains,  which 
form  the  first  approach  to  the  highest  Sinaitic  range,  called 


120  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

by  the  general  Arabic  name  for  a high  mountain,  the 
“Tor.” 

One  narrow  plain,  or  belt  of  sand,  divides  the  table  land 
of  the  north  from  these  mountains  of  the  south.  This  brings 
us  to  the  heights  which  form  the  mountain  land  of  the 
Peninsula.  This  mass  of  mountains,  rising  in  their  highest 
points  to  the  height  of  more  than  9,000  feet,  forms  the 
southern  tower  of  that  long  belt  or  chain  of  hills,'  of  which 
the  northern  bulwark  is  the  double  range  of  Lebanon.  The 
cluster  itself  consists  of  two  formations — sandstone  and 
granite.  To  these  it  owes  the  depth  and  variety  of  color 
which  distinguish  it  from  almost  all  other  mountainous 
scenery.  Sandstone  and  granite  alike  lend  the  strong  red 
hue,  which,  when  it  extends  further  eastward,  is,  accord- 
ing to  some  interpretations,  connected  with  the  name  of 
“ Edom.”  It  was  long  ago  described  as  of  a bright  scarlet 
hue,  and  is  represented  in  legendary  pictures  as  of  a bril- 
liant crimson.  But  viewed  even  in  the  soberest  light,  it 
gives  a richness  to  the  whole  mountain  landscape  which  is 
wholly  unknown  in  the  gray  and  brown  suits  of  our  north- 
ern hills. 

It  was  the  soft  surface  of  these  sandstone  cliffs  which 
offered  ready  tablets  to  the  writers  of  the  so-called  Sinaitic 
inscriptions  and  engravings,  and  to  Egyptian  sculptors ; the 
continuation  of  the  same  formation,  far  away  to  the  south- 
west, reappears  in  the  consecrated  quarries  of  the  gorge  of 
Silsilie,  whence  were  hewn  the  vast  materials  for  the  tem- 
ples of  Thebes.  So,  too,  the  granite  mountains,  on  whose 
hard  blocks  were  written  the  Ten  Commandments  of  the 
Mosaic  Law,  and  whose  wild  rents  and  fantastic  forms 
reappear  in  Egypt  at  the  * First  Cataract,  in  the  grotesque 
rocks  that  surround  the  island  of  Philac,  and  in  the  vast 
quarries  of  Syrene. 

The  general  characteristics  of  these  respective  clusters 
may  be  best  given  in  common.  Bed,  with  dark  green,  are 
the  predominant  colors.  These  colors,  especially  in  the 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


121 


neighborhood  of  Serbal,  are  diversified  by  the  long  streaks 
of  purple  which  run  over  them  from  top  to  bottom.  An- 
other feature,  less  peculiar,  but  still  highly  characteristic, 
is  the  infinite  complication  of  jagged  peaks  and  varied 
ridges.  It  is  as  if  Arabia  Petrasa  were  an  ocean  of  lava, 
which,  whilst  its  waves  were  running  mountains  high,  had 
suddenly  stood  still.  This — their  union  of  grandeur  with 
desolation — is  the  point  of  their  scenery  absolutely  unri- 
valed. They  are  the  “Alps”  of  Arabia — but  the  Alps 
planted  in  the  Desert,  and,  therefore,  stripped  of  the  varie- 
gated drapery  of  oak,  and  birch,  and  pine,  and  fir;  of  moss, 
and  grass,  and  fern,  which,  to  landscapes  of  European  hills, 
are  almost  as  essential  as  the  rocks  and  peaks  themselves. 


XXXIV.— 1 THE  CHRISTIAN  TOURISTS. 

No  aimless  wanderers,  by  the  fiend  Unrest 
Goaded  from  shore  to  shore  ; 

No  schoolmen  turning,  in  their  classic  quest. 
The  leaves  of  empire  o’er. 

Simple  of  faith,  and  bearing  in  their  hearts 
The  love  of  man  and  God, 

Isles  of  old  song,  the  Moslem’s  ancient  marts. 
And  Sythia’s  steppes,  they  trod. 

Where  the  long  shadows  of  the  fir  and  pine 
In  the  night  sun  are  cast, 

And  the  deep  heart  of  many  a Norland  mine 
Quakes  at  each  riving  blast ; 

Where,  in  barbaric  grandeur,  Moskwa  stands, 

A baptised  Sythian  queen. 

With  Europe’s  arts  and  Asia’s  grizzled  hands. 
The  North  and  East  between  1 


6 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


"Where  still,  through  vales  of  Grecian  fable,  stray 
The  classic  forms  of  yore. 

And  beauty  smiles,  new  risen  from  the  spray, 

And  Dian  weeps  once  more ; 

Where  every  tongue  in  Smyrna’s  mart  resounds ; 

And  Stamboul  from  the  sea 
Lifts  her  tall  minarets  over  burial-grounds. 

Black  with  the  cypress-tree  ! 

From  Malta’s  temples  to  the  gates  of  Rome, 
Following  the  track  of  Paul, 

And  where  the  Alps  gird  round  the  Switzer’s  home 
Their  vast,  eternal  wall ; 

The.y  paused  not  by  the  ruins  of  old  time, 

They  scanned  no  pictures  rare, 

Nor  lingered  where  the  snow-locked  mountains  climb 
The  cold  abyss  of  air ! 

But  into  prisons,  where  me  lay  in  chains, 

To  haunts  where  Hunger  pined, 

To  kings  and  courts  forgetful  of  the  pains 
And  wants  of  human-kind  ; 

Scattering  sweet  words,  and  quiet  deeds  of  good, 
Along  their  way  like  flowers, 

Or  pleading,  as  Christ’s  freemen  only  could. 

With  princes  and  with  powers. 

Their  single  aim  the  purpose  to  fulfil 
Of  Truth  from  day  to  day, 

Simply  obedient  to  its  guiding  will, 

They  held  their  pilgrim  way. 

Yet  dream  not,  hence,  the  beautiful  and  old 
"Were  wasted  on  their  sight, 

Who,  in  the  school  of  Christ  had  learned  to  hold 
All  outward  things  aright.  • 

Not  less  to  them  the  breath  of  vineyards  blown 
From  off  the  Cyprian  shore, 

Not  less  for  them  the  Alps  in  sunset  shone, 

That  man  they  valued  more. 

A life  of  beauty  lends  to  all  it  sees 
The  beauty  of  its  thought ; 

And  fairest  forms  and  sweetest  harmonies  # 

Make  glad  its  way,  unsought. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


123 


In  sweet  accordancy  of  praise  and  love, 

The  singing  waters  run  ; 

And  sunset  mountains  wear  in  light  above 
The  smile  of  duty  done  ; 

Sure  stands  the  promise, — ever-  to  the  meek 
A heritage  is  given ; 

Nor  lose  they  earth  who,  single-hearted,  seek 
The  righteousness  of  Heaven  ! 


XXXV.— THE  CITY  OF  VENICE. 

As  a general  description  of  Venice,  none  is  more  vivid 
than  that  which  we  owe  to  Rogers 

“ There  is  a glorious  city  in  the  sea, 

The  sea  is  in  the  broad,  the  narrow  streets, 

Ebbing  and  flowing ; and  the  salt  sea-weed 
Clings  to  the  marble  of  her  palaces. 

No  track  of  man,  no  footsteps  to  and  fro. 

Lead  to  her  gates.  The  path  lies  o’er  the  sea, 

Invincible  ; and  from  the  land  we  went, 

As  to  a floating  city — steering  in. 

And  gliding  up  her  streets  as  in  a dream. 

So  smoothly,  silently — by  many  a dome. 

Mosque-like,  and  many  a stately  portico. 

The  statues  ranged  along  an  azure  sky ; 

By  many  a pile,  in  more  than  Eastern  pride. 

Of  old  the  residence  of  merchant -kings ; 

The  fronts  of  some,  tho’  Time  had  shattered  them, 

Still  glowing  with  the  richest  hues  of  art, 

As  tho’  the  wealth  within  them  had  run  o’er.” 

It  is  not  necessary  to  describe  minutely  the  general  as- 
pect of  this  city*  familiarized  as  it  is  to  every  one  by  prose, 
poetry  and  painting.  Yet  Venice  to-day  is  not  the  proud 


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THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


city  that  it  was  in  the  time  of  its  maritime  supremacy. 
Sky,  air  and  water  continue  the  same,  hut  all  the  actors 
who  peopled  the  scene  are  gone ; for  the  Venetians  have 
cast  aside  in  despair  all  the  peculiarities  that  marked  them 
in  the  days  of  their  independence.  The  masks,  the  saltin- 
vauks,  the  soothsayers,  the  motley  crowds  that  enlivened 
the  piazza,  have  followed  the  fate  of  Doge  and  Senator.  The 
gondolas  alone  linger  in  their  ancient  form,  gliding  as  in 
days  of  yore  on  the  canals  in  ghostly  silence. 

The  palaces  of  Venice  may  he  considered  as  the  monu- 
ments of  her  aristocracy.  The  number  now  occupied  by 
the  families  who  reared  these  sumptuous  piles  is  exceed- 
ingly small — not  more  than  one-twentieth.  Of  the  rest, 
some  are  turned  into  hotels,  others  into  public  offices.  Of 
their  architecture,  lightness  and  fancy  are  the  chief  charac- 
teristics, though  never  devoid  of  needful  strength  and 
solidity. 

The  principal  palace  and  the  chief  pride  of  Venice  is  the 
St.  Mark’s.  This  is  the  structure  in  which  the  old  Doges 
dwelt,  and  in  which  are  preserved  the  treasures  of  architec- 
ture and  painting,  which  once  made  the  city  as  famous  as 
did  its  maritime  successes. 

The  main  part  of  the  palace  was  built  in  the  tenth  cen- 
tury, and  the  exterior  decorations  were  completed  under  the 
Doge  Marino  Faliero. 

The  interior  of  the  building  was  exceedingly  damaged  by 
two  successive  fires  in  the  sixteenth  century,  in  which  the 
great  paintings  of  Titian  and  others,  representing  the 
triumphs  of  the  republic,  perished  in  the  flames.  The  plan 
of  the  palace  is  an  irregular  square  and  is  surrounded  by 
galleries.  The  compass  and  -spread  of  its  chambers,  the  rich 
adornments,  the  paintings  and  every  accessory,  all  unite  in 
breathing,  as  it  were,  a character  of  pride — almost  of  arro- 
gance. The  building  is  a personification  of  the  State  by 
whose  majesty  it  was  inhabited.  The  library  of  St.  Mark 
was  founded  by  Petrarch  and  by  Cardinal  Bersorione.  Some 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


125 


manuscripts  were  given  by  tire  former  ; the  latter  bequeathed 
to  the  republic  his  library,  then  so  choice  and  rich  in  Greek 
manuscripts  as  to  be  unequaled  in  Europe,  and  these  still 
constitute  its  chief  pride. 

An  outside  view  of  the  palace  is  very  striking ; in  fact, 
more  so  than  can  be  inferred  from  any  picture  of  it.  The 
long  rows  of  light  arches,  supported  by  pillars  seemingly  so 
slender,  yet  so  substantial ; the  rich  Gothic  windows,  and 
the  beauty  of  the  material,  all  combine  to  impress  its 
beholder  with  an  elevated  sense  of  Venetian  art.  Inside  of 
the  palace  there  is  a court,  or  open  space,  in  which  is  a 
fountain.  A better  view  of  the  building  as  a work  of  art 
could  hardly  be  obtained  at  any  other  point.  The  sculp- 
ture and  the  rich  tracery  of  the  arches,  balustrades  and 
staircases  are  most  beautiful. 

The  Bridge  of  Sighs  is  celebrated  in  history  and  poetry. 
It  unites  the  dungeons  of  the  ducal  palace  with  the  public 
prisons  which  extend  their  walls  in  a long  and  gloomy 
range  along  the  narrow  canal. 

“ That  deep  descent  (thou  canst  not  yet  discern 
Aught  as  it  is)  leads  to  the  dripping  vaults, 

Under  the  floods,  were  light  and  warmth  were  never  ! 

Leads  to  a covered  bridge,  the  Bridge  of  Sighs; 

And  to  that  fatal  closet  at  the  foot, 

Lurking  for  prey,  which,  when  a victim  came. 

Grew  less  and  less,  contracting  to  a span. 

An  iron  door,  urged  onward  by  a screw, 

For<5ing  out  life.  But  let  us  to  the  roof, 

And  when  thou  hast  surveyed  the  sea,  the  land. 

Visit  the  narrow  cells  that  cluster  there, 

As  in  a place  of  tombs.  There  burning  suns, 

Day  after  day,  beat  unrelentingly, 

Turning  all  things  to  dust,  and  scorching  up 
The  brain,  till  Reason  fled,  and  the  wild  yell 
And  wilder  laugh  burst  out  on  every  side ; 

Answering  each  other  as  in  mockery  ! ” 

This  gives  the  darkest  side  of  Venetian  policy,  and,  per- 
haps is  a little  exaggerated.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the 


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THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


tortures,  so  thrillingly  described  above,  ended  with  the  end 
of  the  Doges  of  Venice. 


XXXVI.— VOLCANOES  AND  VOLCANIC  LEGIONS. 

A volcano  is  an  opening  in  the  earth’s  crust,  from  which 
come  torrents  of  melted  rock,  called  lava,  with  steam,  flam- 
ing gases,  hot  ashes,  and  often  large  red-hot  stones.  It*  is 
usually  a vast  heap  of  matter  which  has  flowed  out  of  the 
earth,  and  hence  is  commonly  called  a burning  mountain . 
But  the  vent  may  remain  for  a long  time  at  a low  level,  and 
is  sometimes  formed  beneath  the  sea  itself. 

An  earthquake  is  a shaking  or  trembling  of  the  earth’s 
crust  by  movements  of  the  seas  of  fire  which  compose  the 
interior  of  the  globe.  The  solid  ground  on  which  we  live, 
is  but  a shell,  probably  about  twelve  leagues  thick,  of  the 
great  liquid  fiery  mass,  the  lava  ocean  within.  This  thin 
crust  floating  on  this  fiery  ocean  is  shaken,  and  sometimes 
broken,  by  its  currents  and  waves.  When  it  is  shaken,  we 
have  an  earthquake.  When  there  is  an  opening  into  the 
liquid  depths  below,  so  that  their  melted  rocks  and  heated 
gases  and  steam  flow  forth  upon  the  surface,  we  have  a vol- 
cano. 

Volcanoes,  earthquakes,  hot  springs,  and  other  heated 
eruptions  to  the  earth’s  surface  are  due  to  the  same  general 
cause,  viz.,  the  hot  and  melted  mass  of  fire  beneath  the 
crust  on  which  we  live.  Considered  singly,  each  volcano  is 
nothing  but  a mere  opening  through  which  a furnace  of 
lava  is  brought  to  the  surface  of  the  globe.  The  matter 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STETHOSCOPE. 


127 


thrown  out  is  heaped  together  outside  the  opening,  and 
forms  a cone  more  or  less  regular  in  its  shape,  which  at  last 
attains  to  considerable  size,  sometimes  becoming  many 
thousand  feet  high. 

One  flow  of  molten  matter  follows  another,  and  thus  is 
gradually  formed  the  skeleton  of  the  mountain ; the  ashes 
and  stones  thrown  out  by  the  crater  gather  in  long  slopes ; 
the  volcano  at  the  same  time  grows  higher  and  wider.  After 
many  eruptions,  it  at  last  mounts  up  into  the  clouds,  and 
then  into  the  region  of  perpetual  snow.  At  the  first  out- 
break of  the  volcano,  the  mouth  of  the  opening  into  the  fiery 
seas  below  is  on  the  surface  of  the  ground ; it  is  then  pro- 
longed like  an  immense  chimney  through  the  center  of  the 
cone,  and  each  new  river  of  lava  which  flows  from  the  sum- 
mit increases  the  height  of  this  chimney. 

Volcanoes  are  either  central  or  lie  in  chains.  A central 
volcano  is  one  that  stands  alone,  separate  from  all  others. 
A volcanic  chain  is  a line  of  openings,  lying  in  the  same  di- 
rection, and  connected  with  the  same  great  fissure  into  the 
depths  of  the  earth.  As,  when  the  burning  matter  seeks  an 
outlet,  the  earth  is  generally  cleft  open  in  a straight  line, 
the  volcanic  openings  are  frequently  distributed  somewhat 
regularly  along  a fissure,  and  the  heaps  of  matter  they  throw 
out  follow  one  another  like  the  peaks  in  a mountain  chain. 
In  other  places,  however,  the  volcanic  cones  rise  without 
any  apparent  order  on  ground  that  is  variously  cleft ; just 
as  if  a wide  surface  had  been  softened  in  every  direction, 
and  had  thus  allowed  the  molten  matter  to  make  its  escape, 
sometimes  at  one  point,  sometimes  at  another. 

The  common  form  of  volcanoes  in  which  the  work  of 
eruption  takes  place  is  that  of  a slope  of  earth,  ashes,  and 
stone,  arranged  in  a round  form  about  the  outlet.  Whether 
the  volcano  be  a mere  cone  of  ashes  or  mud  only  a few  yards 
high,  or  rises  into  the  regions  of  the  clouds,  vomiting 
streams  of  lava  over  an  extent  of  ten  or  twenty  miles,  it 
none  the  less  keeps  to  the  regular  form  so  long  as  the  erup- 


128 


THE  WORLD  IH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


tive  action  is  maintained  in  the  same  channel,  and  the  mat- 
ter thrown  out  falls  equally  on  the  external  slopes.  The 
beauty  of  the  cone  is  increased  by  that  of  the  crater.  The 
bowl-like  mouth,  from  which  the  laya  boils  out,  well  de- 
serves, from  the  purity  of  its  outline,  its  Greek  name  of 
“ crater,”  or  cup ; and  the  harmony  of  its  curve  contrasts 
most  gracefully  with  the  descent  of  the  slope. 

The  lava,  swelling  up  in  enormous  blisters  about  the  fis- 
sures from  which  it  flows  in  a current  over  the  slope,  is,  as 
we  have  said,  far  from  being  the  only  substance  thrown  out 
of  volcanic  mountains.  When  the  pent-up  vapor  escapes 
from  the  crater  with  a sudden  explosion,  it  carries  with  it 
lumps  of  molten  matter,  which  describe  their  curve  in  the 
air,  and  fall  at  a greater  or  less  distance  on  the  slope  of  the 
cone,  according  to  the  force  with  which  they  were  thrown 
out.  These  immense  showers,  traced  in  lines  of  fire  on  the 
dark  sky,  add  much  during  the  night-time  to  the  magnifi- 
cent beauty  of  volcanic  eruptions.  In  most  eruptions,  these 
balls  of  lava,  still  in  a fluid  and  burning  state,  constitute 
but  a small  part  of  the  matter  thrown  out  by  the  mountain. 
The  largest  proportion  of  the  stones  come  from  the  walls 
of  the  volcano  itself,  which  break  up  under  the  pressure  of 
the  gas,  and  fly  off  in  volleys  mingled  with  the  products  of 
the  new  eruption.  This  is  the  origin  of  the  dust  t * ashes 
which  some  craters  vomit  out  in  such  large  quantities, 
which,  too,  are  the  cause  of  such  terrible  disasters. 

The  chief  theater  of  volcanic  action  on  the  earth  is  in  and 
about  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Two-thirds  of  all  the  active  volca- 
noes are  on  the  shores  or  islands  of  the  Pacific.  This  vast 
ocean  is  circled  round  by  a series  of  volcanic  mountains,  some 
ranged  in  chains,  and  others  very  distant  from  one  another, 
but  still  maintaining  an  evident  mutual  connection,  consti- 
tuting a “ circle  of  fire,”  which  is  about  22,000  miles  in 
length.  The  region  of  the  Sunda  Islands,  where  the  earth  is 
so  often  agitated  by  violent  shocks,  maybe  considered  as  the 
great  center  of  the  lava  streams  of  our  planet.  On  the  kind 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


129 


of  broken  isthmus  which  connects  Australia  with  the  Indo- 
Chinese  peninsula,  and  separates  the  Pacific  Ocean  from 
the  great  Indian  seas,  one  hundred  and  nine  volcanoes  are 
vomiting  out  lava,  ashes  or  mud  in  full  activity,  destroying, 
from  time  to  time,  the  towns  and  villages  which  lie  upon 
their  slope;  sometimes,  in  their  more  terrible  explosions, 
they  ultimately  explode  bodily,  covering  with  the  dust  of 
their  fragments  areas  of  several  thousands  of  miles  in  ex- 
tent. From  Papua  to  Sumatra,  every  large  island,  includ- 
ing, probably,  the  almost  unknown  tracts  of  Borneo,  is 
pierced  with  one  or  more  volcanic  outlets. 

The  great  center  of  volcanic  energy  on  the  earth  seems 
to  be  about  and  upon  the  island  of  Java.  It  is,  as  one  has 
said,  “ dowered  with  fire.”  Notwithstanding  its  compara- 
tively small  size,  it  has  as  many  volcanoes  as  all  America, 
and  each  more  terrible  than  /Etna.  All  these  “ giants  of 
fire  ” differ  from  one  another.  They  have,  too,  their  sepa- 
rate names ; some  borrowed  from  the  Hindu  gods ; others, 
apparently,  the  names  of  the  divinities  of  the  island.  One 
yawns  with  a monstrous  crater,  20,000  feet  in  diameter, 
where  four  /Etnas  smoke  and  vomit,  at  the  bottom  of  a 
frightful  precipice.  Another  kindles  its  flames  in  a strange 
desert,  encrusted  by  salt  springs.  One  belches  periodically ; 
another  boils  with  sulphurous  waters,  which,  even  after 
they  have  cooled  in  little  lake-like  basins,  exhibit  a feverish 
agitation.  Another  pours  out  a milky  flood  of  ghastly 
whiteness. 

The  central  crest  of  Java  is  formed  of  a range  of  volcanic 
mountains,  from  5,000  to  13,000  feet  in  height,  which  ends 
on  the  east  in  a series  of  thirty-eight  separate  volcanoes, 
rising  into  cones  from  colossal  bases.  They  are  all  situated 
on  a plain  of  no  great  elevation  above  the  sea,  and  each  in- 
dividual mountain  has  apparently  been  formed  in  entire 
independence  of  its  neighbors.  Most  of  them  are  very 
ancient,  and  their  flanks  labor  with  a rich,  dense  vegeta- 
tion. Some  are  extinct,  or  only  emit  smoke;  others  eject, 
G* 


130 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


with  great  fury,  clouds  of  sulphurous  vapor ; the  crater  of 
one  is  filled  with  boiling  water ; a few,  even  of  recent  years, 
have  broken  into  violent  eruption.  Among  the  most  re- 
markable of  the  Javanese  volcanoes  must  be  named  Guevo- 
Upas,  or  the  Valley  of  Poison,  a half  extinct  crater,  which 
seems  to  have  originated  the  fable  of  the  Upas  Tree.  It 
measures  about  800  yards  in  circuit,  and  sends  forth  a quan- 
tity of  poisonous  gas,  which  proves  fatal  to  every  living 
thing  that  ventures  within  its  reach.  The  valley  is  said  to 
be  strewn  with  the  blanched  skeletons  of  the  animals  that 
have  fallen  victims  to  its  deadly  effects. 

Northward,  the  volcanic  ring  curves  gradually,  so  as  to 
follow  a direction  parallel  to  the  coast  of  Asia,  to  the  Kam- 
tchatkan  peninsula,  which  supports  fourteen  fiery  peaks  in 
full  activity  of  eruption.  Eastward  of  the  peninsula,  the 
volcanic  chain  extends  along  the  sea  coast  of  the  continent. 
Mount  St.  Elias,  one  of  the  highest  summits  in  America, 
often  vomits  lava  from*  its  crater.  Farther  to  the  south 
rises  another  active  volcano,  Mount  Fair  Weather.  Next 
comes  the  volcanic  region  of  British  Columbia.  The  whole 
chain  of  the  Cascades,  in  Oregon,  as  well  as  the  parallel 
ranges  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  the  Iiocky  Mountains,  are 
overlooked  by  a great  number  of  volcanoes ; but  only  a few 
of  them  continue  to  throw  out  smoke  and  ashes.  There  a 
series  of  volcanoes,  arising  over  a fissure  crossing  the  con- 
tinent, extends  over  the  whole  plateau  of  Anahuac,  from 
the  Southern  Ocean  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Tolima  is  the  most  northern  of  the  active  volcanoes  of 
South  America,  and  is  also  one  of  the  most  distant  from 
the  sea  among  all  the  fire-vomiting  mountains.  South  of 
Tolima,  and  the  great  plateau  of  Pasto,  where  there  like- 
wise exists  a crater,  stands  the  magnificent  group  of  sixteen 
volcanoes,  some  already  extinct  and  still  smoking,  over 
which  towers  the  proud  dome  of  Chimborazo. 

The  whole  range  of  the  Andes  furnishes  a grand  example 
of  linear  volcanoes  or  a volcanic  chain.  This  is  specially 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


131 


true  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city  of  Quito.  On  the  east 
rises  the  snow-shrouded  summit  of  Cotopaxi,  one  of  the 
most  superb  of  active  volcanoes,  whose  dazzling  cone  soars 
to  a height  of  18,775  feet.  Close  to  the  city  the  lofty  vol- 
cano of  Pichincha  rises  to  the  greater  altitude  of  19,553 
feet.  It  was  ascended  by  Humboldt,  who  approached  the 
very  edge  of  the  crater,  and  saw  the  curdling  lava  boiling 
in  the  black  depths  of  the  dreaded  abyss.  He  had  advanced, 
in  the  midst  of  a thick  fog,  to  within  a few  feet  of  the  rapid 
slope  which  descends  into  the  crater,  and  with  difficulty 
saved  himself  from  plunging  headlong  into  the  burning, 
seething  gulf, 

South  of  Sanguay,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  most  destructive 
volcano  on  the  earth,  there  are  no  volcanoes  for  nearly 
1,000  miles.  Then  the  smoking  peaks  appear  again,  more 
or  less  frequently,  extending  down  the  coast  to  the  rocky 
shores  of  Terra  del  Fuego.  Within  this  immense  amphi- 
theater of  volcanoes,  a multitude  of  those  charming  isles, 
which  are  scattered  over  the  ocean,  are  also  of  volcanic 
origin,  and  many  of  them  can  be  distinguished  from  afar 
by  their  smoking  and  flaming  craters.  Round  the  circum- 
ference of  the  Indian  Ocean  the  border  of  volcanoes  is  much 
less  distinct  than  round  the  Pacific ; still  it  is  possible  to 
recognise  some  of  its  elements.  To  the  north  of  Java  and 
Sumatra,  the  volcanoes  of  which  overlook  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  basins  of  the  Indian  seas,  stretches  the  volcanic 
archipelago  of  the  Andaman  and  Nicobar  Islands,  in  wdiich 
there  are  several  cones  of  eruption  in  full  activity. 

On  the  west  of  Hindostan,  the  peninsula  of  Kutch  and 
the  delta  of  the  Indus  are  often  agitated.  Many  mountains 
on  the  Arabian  coast  are  nothing  but  masses  of  lava;  and, 
if  various  travelers  are  to  be  believed,  the  volcanic  furnace 
of  these  countries  is  not  yet  extinct.  The  Kpnia,  the  great 
mountain  of  Eastern  Africa,  has  on  its  own  summit  a crater 
still  in  action — perhaps  the  only  one  which  exists  on  this 
continent.  Lastly,  a large  number  of  islands  which  sur* 


182 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


round  the  Indian  Ocean,  on  the  west  and  on  tho  south,  are 
nothing  but  cones  of  eruption,  which  have  gradually 
emerged  from  the  bed  of  the  ocean.  The  Mediterranean  is 
not  surrounded  by  a circle  of  volcanoes ; but  there,  as  else- 
where, it  is  from  the  midst  of  the  sea,  or  immediately  on 
the  sea  coast,  that  the  burning  mountains  rise — iEtna, 
Vesuvius,  Stromboli,  Epomeo,  and  Santorin. 


XXXVII.— DESTRUCTION  OF  POMPEII. 

Sad  city,  gayly  dawned  thy  latest  day, 

And  poured  its  radiance  on  a scene  as  gay. 

Then  mirth  and  music  through  Pompeii  rung; 

Then  verdant  wreaths  on  all  her  portals  hung ; 

Her  sons  with  solemn  rite  and  jocund  lay, 

Hailed  the  glad  splendors  of  the  festal  day. 

With  fillets  bound  the  hoary  priests  advance ; 

And  rosy  virgins  braid  the  choral  dance. 

The  rugged  warrior  here  unbends  awhile 
His  iron  front,  and  deigns  a transient  smile ; 

There,  frantic  with  delight,  the  ruddy  boy 

Scarce  treads  on  earth,  and  bounds  and  laughs  with  joy. 

What  Vails  it,  that  where  yonder  heights  aspire, 

With  ashes  piled,  and  scathed  with  rills  of  fire, 

Gigantic  phantoms  dimly  seem  to  glide, 

In  misty  files,  along  the  mountain  side, 

To  view  with  threatening  scowl  your  fated  lands, 

And  toward  your  city  point  their  shadowy  hands? 
pi  vain,  through  many  a night,  ye  view  from  far 
The  lneteor  flag  of  elemental  war 
Unroll  its  blazing  folds  from  yonder  height, 

In  fearful  signs  of  earth’s  intestine  fight. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


133 


In  vain  Vesuvius  groaned  with  wrath  suppressed. 

And  muttered  thunder  in  his  burning  breast. 

Long  since,  the  eagle  from  that  flaming  peak, 

Hath  soared  with  screams  a safer  nest  to  seek. 

Awed  by  the  infernal  beacon’s  fitful  glare, 

The  howling  wolf  hath  left  his  wonted  lair. 

Man  only  mocks  the  peril.  Man  alone 
Defies  the  sulphurous  flame,  the  warning  groan ; 
While  instinct,  bumbler  guardian,  wakes  and  saves, 
Proud  reason  sleeps,  nor  knows  the  doom  it  braves. 

The  hour  is  come.  Even  now  the  sulphurous  cloud 
Involves  the  city  in  its  funeral  shroud, 

And,  far  along  Campania’s  azure  sky, 

Expands  its  dark  and  boundless  canopy. 

The  sun,  though  throned  on  heaven’s  meridian  height, 
Burns  red  and  ravless  through  that  sickly  night. 

Each  bosom  felt  at  once  the  shuddering  thrill, 

At  once  the  music  stopped, — the  song  was  still. 

None  in  that  cloud’s  portentous  shade  might  trace 
The  fearful  changes  of  another’s  face. 

But  through  that  horrid  stillness,  each  could  hear, 
His  neighbor’s  throbbing  heart  beat  high  with  fear. 

A moment’s  pause  succeeds.  Then  wildly  rise 
Grief’s  sobbing  plaints  and  terror’s  frantic  cries. 

The  gates  recoil ; and  toward  the  narrow  pass, 

In  wild  confusion,  rolls  the  living  mass. 

Death  ! — when  thy  shadowy  sceptre  waves  away 
From  his  sad  couch  the  prisoner  of  decay, 

Though  friendship  view  the  close  with  glistening  eye. 
And  love's  fond  lips  imbibe  the  parting  sigh, 

By  torture  racked,  by  kindness  soothed  in  vain, 

The  soul  still  clings  to  being  and  to  pain. 

But  when  have  wilder  terrors  clothed  thy  brow, 

Or  keener  torments  edged  thy  dart  than  now, — 

When  with  thy  regal  horrors  vainly  strove 
The  law  of  Nature  and  the  power  of  Love  ? 

On  mothers  babes  in  vain  for  mercy  call ; 

Beneath  the  feet  of  brothers,  brothers  fall. 

Behold  the  dying  wretch  in  vain  upraise 
Toward  yonder  well-known  face  the  accusing  gaze. 


134 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Vain  is  the  imploring  glance,  the  frenzied  cny, 

All,  all  is  fear; — to  succor  is  to  die. 

Saw  ye  how  wild,  how  red,  how  broad  a light 
Burst  on  the  darkness  of  that  mid-day  night, 

As  fierce  Vesuvius  scattered  o’er  the  vale 
Her  drifted  flames  and  sheets  of  burning  hail, 
Shook  death’s  wan  lightnings  from  his  blazing  cone^. 
And  gilded  heaven  with  meteors  not  its  own  ? 

The  morn  all  blushing  rose ; but  sought  in  vain 
The  snowy  villas  and  the  flowery  plain, 

The  purple  hills  with  marshaled  vineyards  gay. 

The  domes  that  sparkled  in  the  sunny  ray. 

'Where  Art  or  Nature  late  had  deck’d  the  scene 
With  blazing  marble  or  with  spangled  green. 
There,  streaked  by  many  a fiery  torrent’s  bed, 

A boundless  waste  of  hoary  ashes  spread. 

Along  that  dreary  waste,  where  lately  rung 
The  festal  lay  which  smiling  virgins  sung, 

Where  rapture  echoed  from  the  warbling  lute, 

And  the  gay  dance  resounded, — all  is  mute. 

Mute  ! — Is  it  Fancy  shapes  that  wailing  sound, 
Which  faintly  murmurs  from  the  blasted  ground; 

Or  live  there  still,  who,  breathing  in  the  tomb, 
Curse  the  dark  refuge  which  delays  their  doom, 

In  massive  vaults,  on  which  the  incumbent  plain 
And  ruined  city  heap  their  weight  in  vain  ? 

Go  seek  Pompeii  now ; — with  pensive  tread 
Roam  through  the  silent  city  of  the  dead  ; 

Explore  each  spot,  where  still,  in  ruin  grand, 

Her  shapeless  piles  and  tottering  columns  stand, — * 
Where  the  pale  ivy’s  clasping  wreaths  o’ershade 
The  ruined  temple’s  moss-clad  colonnade; 

Or  violets  on  the  hearth’s- cold  marble  wave. 

And  muse  in  silence  on  a people’s  grave. 

Fear  not. — No  sign  of  death  thine  eyes  shall  scare. 
No,  all  is  beauty, .verdure,  fragrance  there. 

A gentle  slope  includes  the  fatal  ground, 

With  odorous  shrubs  and  tufted  myrtles  crowned; 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


135 


Beneath,  o’ergrown  with  grass,  or  wreathed  with  flowers, 
Lie  tombs  and  temples,  columns,  baths,  and  towers ; 

As  if,  in  mockery,  Nature  seems  to  dres3 
In  all  her  charms  the  beauteous  wilderness, 

And  bids  her  gayest  flowrets  twine  and  bloom 
In  sweet  profusion  o’er  a city’s  tomb. 

Advance,  and  wander  on  through  crumbling  halls. 
Through  prostrate  gates  and  ivied  pedestals, — 

Arches,  whose  echoes  now  no  chariots  rouse, — 

Tombs,  on  whose  summit  goats  undaunted  browse. 


XXXVI1L — ASCENTS  OP  MOUNT  CHIMBORAZO. 

The  neighborhood  of  Quito  in  South  America  is  rich  in 
magnificent  mountain  scenery,  looking  out  upon  thirteen 
lofty  summits.  On  the  east  rise  the  snow-shrouded  sum- 
mits of  Antisana,  Cotopaxi,  an  active  volcano  whose  daz- 
zling cone  soars  to  the  height  of  nearly  20,000  feet,  and 
Tungurago.  On  the  west  is  seen  Xllinissa,  the  wreck  of  an 
ancient  volcano,  and  close  to  the  city  the  vast  slope  of  Pi- 
chincha ; while  in  the  north  appears  the  Cayambi,  a beau- 
tiful snow-clad  mass ; while  Chimborazo,  the  loftiest  sum- 
mit ascended  by  man  in  America,  lies  off  to  the  southeast. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1802  that  Humboldt  undertook 
to  plant  the  standard  of  geographical  discovery  on  the 
snowy  crest  of  Chimborazo.  Early  in  the  morning,  Hum- 
boldt and  Bonpland  quitted  the  village  of  Calpi  to  attack 
Chimborazo  on  the  southeast  side.  The  summit  of  its  peak 
is  surrounded  by  plains,  which  rise  one  above  another  in  a 


136 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


series  of  terraces.  These  plains,  blooming  with  vegetation, 
surpass  in  height  the  peak  of  Teneriffe.  These  plains  may 
be  compared  to  the  bed  of  a dried  up  lake,  and  remind  the 
traveler  of  the  steppes  of  Central  Asia.  The  snowy  crest  of 
Chimborazo  here  reveals  itself  to  the  traveler  in  occasional 
flashes  of  white  light  through  the  clouds  and  dense  mist 
that  closely  embrace  it. 

At  this  elevation  Humboldt  dismounted  from  his  mule, 
the  snow  having  fallen  heavily  on  the  preceding  day. 
Bonpland  and  Montufar  also  left  behind  their  horses,  to  re- 
mount them  on  their  return.  The  vegetation  nourished 
by  the  meager  soil  ceased  at  about  950  feet  above  the  lake 
Yana-Concha.  From  that  point  there  was  nothing  but  som- 
bre walls  of  rocks  reared  upon  foundations  of  eternal  snow. 
At  certain  points  these  rocks  arranged  themselves  in  masses 
of  slender  and  irregular  columns,  which,  from  afar,  produced 
all  the  effect  of  a forest  of  trees,  dead,  but  still  standing. 
This  avenue  of  black  trunks  leads  directly  to  a very  narrow 
ridge,  the  only  road  by  which  the  summit  could  be  attained, 
for  the  snow  lying  on  the  other  parts  of  the  mountain  was 
too  new  and  too  soft  to  bear  the  weight  of  a single  person. 

The  ridge  narrowing  as  it  ascended,  offered  but  a perilous 
path,  and  grew  steeper  and  jet  steeper.  At  the  elevation  of 
16,600  feet  all  the  guides  abandoned  the  enterprise,  daunted 
by  its  difficulties,  and  only  one  native,  a half-breed  of  San 
Juan,  remained  faithful  to  the  travelers. 

Despite  the  fog  which  surrounded  them/they  mounted  to 
a greater  altitude  than  they  had  hoped  for,  though  not 
without  incurring  the  most  alarming  dangers.  The  ridge 
(or  knife-back,  to  adopt  the  expressive  word  of  the  Span- 
iards) along  which  they  passed  was  only  from  eight  to 
twelve  inches  in  width.  I*t  terminated,  on  the  left,  in  an 
inclined  plane  of  thirty  degrees,  formed  of  congealed  snow, 
which  glittered  like  a mirror ; on  the  right  yawned  an 
abyss,  nearly  1,000  feet  in  depth,  wherein  the  sharp  rocks 
rise  vertically  like  spires  or  pinnacles.  “ We  moved  forward, 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


137 


however/’  says  Humboldt,  “ leaning  ourselves  on  this  side ; 
the  peril  appeared  to  us  far  more  formidable  on  the  left, 
because  we  had  not  there  even  the  slight  resource  of  cling- 
ing to  the  projections  of  the  rock,  and  the  sloping  stratum 
of  ice  would  not  have  saved  us  from  being  buried  in  the 
snow.” 

The  difficulty  of  ascent  continued,  nevertheless,  to  in- 
crease. The  rock  became  more  and  more  brittle,  and  the 
incline  so  steep  that  the  travelers  were  fain  to  crawl  on 
their  hands  and  feet,  at  the  risk  of  wounding  themselves 
every  moment.  They  advanced  in  single  file,  exploring  the 
path ' before  them  at  every  step,  for  frequently  the  huge 
stones,  which  seemed  a compact  portion  of  the  soil,  became 
detached,  and  rolled  from  under  the  foot  instead  of  serving 
it  for  a support.  Everybody  then  began  to  feel  the  moun- 
tain sickness — that  is,  a desire  to  vomit,  and  a kind  of  diz- 
ziness. The  native  who  had  agreed  to  share  the  fatigues  of 
the  ascent  suffered  far  more  than  the  European  travelers. 
All  bled  from  the  gums  and  lips,  and  their  eyes  were  ter- 
ribly bloodshot. 

All  at  once  the  veil  of  clouds  which  drooped  over  the 
crest  of  Chimborazo  seemed  torn  aside  as  if  by  enchant- 
ment, revealing  its  rounded  summit.  The  road  growing 
somewhat  wider,  the  travelers  advanced  with  surer  step, 
when  a deep  crevasse,  500  feet  deep  and  70  broad,  suddenly 
arrested  them  with  an  insurmountable  obstacle.  The  path 
was  continued  beyond,  but  it  was  equally  impossible  to 
* flank  the  abyss  or  descend  into  its  shades,  on  account  of  the 
softness  of  the  snow  which  filled  it.  They  were  compelled 
to  abandon  all  hopes  of  ascending  higher. 

It  . was  not  possible  for  them  to  remain  long  in  this  gloomy 
desert.  The  fog  had  again  thickened,  and  neither  the  peak 
of  Chimborazo  nor  any  of  the  neighbouring  mountains  was 
now  visible.  The  sky  grew  more  and  more  cloudy,  and  the 
adventurers  addressed  themselves  to  a speedy  downward 
journey,  which  they  accomplished  by  the  same  route,  but 


138 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


not  without  the  greatest  precautions.  They  had  scarcely 
begun  their  descent  when  a thick  hail,  soon  followed  by 
snow,  came  down  in  heavy  showers.  The  ground  was  soon 
covered  ankle-deep,  a circumstance  which  rendered  the  de- 
scent doubly  perilous.  However,  about  two  p.  m.,  Hum- 
boldt and  Bonpland  rejoined  their  guides,  whom  they 
had  left  with  their  horses  on  the  borders  of  the  perpetual 
snow. 

In  1831,  a French  traveler  named  Boussingault,  with  his 
companion,  Colonel  Hall,  attempted  this  ascent  again,  with 
better  results  at  their  second  trial,  the  story  of  which  is 
given  below.  At  7 a.  m.  on  the  15th  December,  they  set  out 
on  their  journey.  At  nine  they  breakfasted  on  an  enormous 
block  of  trachyte,  14,150  feet  in  altitude,  which  Boussin- 
gault named  “The  Breakfast  Stone.”  Nineteen  hundred 
feet  higher,  the  mules  refusing  to  proceed  on  account  of  the 
rarefaction  of  the  air,  the  travelers  quitted  their  steeds  and 
began  to  climb  on  foot  a slope  of  rocks  resting  upon  ice,  a 
mass  which  seemed  the  result  of  some  recent  landslip,  a 
kind  of  stony  avalanche  Jet  loose  from  the  mountain  sum- 
mit. Toward  noon  they  traversed  a sheet  of  ice  of  such  ex- 
treme slipperiness  that  they  were  obliged  to  excavate  holes 
with  a hatchet  in  which  to  plant  their  feet. 

Already  the  air  was  so  rarefied  that  they  stopped  at  every 
six  or  eight  paces  to  draw  breath.  In  this  position  they 
made  their  way  to  some  blocks  of  trachyte  not  covered  with 
snow.  The  “ forlorn  hope  ” marched  in  single  file,  Bous- 
singault at  the  head,  Colonel  Hall  and  his  negro  servant1 
placing  their  feet  in  Boussingault’s  footprints.  While  on 
tlie  march  they  preserved  an  absolute  silence,  and  during 
their  halts  exchanged  but  a few  words  in  a low  voice — a very 
essential  precaution  in  an  enterprise  of  this  kind,  where 
nothing  is  so  fatiguing  as  a sustained  conversation,  and 
where  the  agitation  of  the  air  resulting  from  shouts  or  other 
noises  will  often  induce  the  most  terrible  avalanches.  It 
was  not  long  before  they  gained,  in  this  fashion,  a ridge 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


139 


wliicli  ascended  directly  to  the  summit  of  Chimborazo. 
There  was  little  snow  on  it,  but  it  was  dangerous  to  climb  ■ 
on  account  of  its  exceeding  steepness. 

After  incredible  gymnastic  efforts,  they  found  themselves 
at  the  foot  of  a wall  of  trachyte  nearly  perpendicular,  and 
some  hundreds  of  feet  in  height.  Resting  themselves  in 
front  of  this  “ Red  Rock,”  they  quenched  their  thirst  by 
sucking  small  lumps  of  ice.  It  was  then  three-quarters 
past  noon.  Everybody  was  frozen  with  .the  cold,  for  the, 
thermometer  had  sunk  to  zero.  The  mist  which  had  en- 
shrouded the  travelers  finally  cleared  away,  revealing  on 
their  right  a horrible  abyss,  and  on  the  left  a projecting 
rock,  which  formed  a kind  of  observatory.  With  the  assist- 
ance of  his  companions,  Boussingault  contrived  to  climb  it. 
Looking  around,  he  ascertained  that  it  was  possible  to 
ascend  much  higher  if  they  succeeded  in  scaling  a slope  of 
frozen  snow,  which  W'as  supported  against  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Red  Rock.  He  ordered  the  negro  to  test  the 
strength  of  the  snow ; fortunately  it  proved  of  sufficient 
density  to  bear  them  all.  Colonel  Hail  and  the  negro  then 
passed  round  the  rock,  and  Boussingault  rejoined  them  by 
sliding  along  its  icy  incline. 

At  this  stage  of  the  journey  everybody  began  to  feel  the 
effects  of  the  thin  mountain  air.  Every  moment  they  were 
compelled  to  pause,  and  frequently  to  prostrate  themselves 
on  the  ground  for  a few  seconds ; but  the  suffering  ceased 
when  they  were  at  rest.  Suddenly  a new  danger  was  added 
to  their  previous  trials ; the  soft  snow  was  no  longer  more 
than  three  or  four  inches  deep ; beneath  it  lay  a hard,  slip- 
pery ice,  and  to  cross  it  without  falling  they  were  compelled 
to  cut  holes  for  their  feet.  For  this  purpose  the  negro  went 
foremost ; but  his  strength  was  soon  exhausted.  Boussin- 
gault, endeavoring  to  pass  him  and  take  his  place,  slipped 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  precipice.  Very  fortunately,  his  two 
companions  caught  hold  of  him  and  held  him  suspended. 
All  three  incurred  the  greatest  danger;  but  having  sue- 


140 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


ceeded  in  recovering  their  place,  they  bravely  resumed  their 
progress  along  the  perilous  path.  By  a last  effort  they  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching,  at  three-quarters  past  one  p.  m.,  the  end 
of  this  most  formidable  ridge. 

It  proved  impossible,  however,  to  advance  beyond.  They 

found  themselves  at  the  foot  of  an  enormous  trachvte  ram- 

«/ 

part,  whose  upper  portion,  shrouded  in  eternal  snow,  formed 
the  actual  summit  of  Chimborazo.  The  ridges  leading  to 
its  crest  are  the  flying  buttresses  visible  from  the  plain, 
which  seem  to  support  on  different  sides,  as  if  to  steady  it, 
this  mighty  mass  of  rock.  The  ridge  at  whose  extremity 
stood  the  three  adventurers  was  scarcely  a yard  in  width. 
On  every  side  it  was  surrounded  by  precipices  and  rocks, 
contrasting  strangely  with  the  dazzling  whiteness  of  the 
snow.  Long  stalactites  of  gleaming  ice,  suspended  over 
their  heads,  might  be  compared  to  a cascade  suddenly  frozen 
in  its  descent.  The  weather  was  magnificent ; the  air  calm 
and  pure;  the  eye  embraced,  a boundless  horizon;  in  a 
word,  the  entire  situation  was  one  of  surpassing  sublimity. 

Up  to  three  o’clock  the  weather  continued  beautifully 
fine  and  clear.  But  after  this  hour,  dense  clouds  began  to 
accumulate  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  a storm  rolled 
and  roared  beneath  the  feet  of  our  aerial  spectators.  The 
growl  of  the  thunder  rose  toward  them,  but  much  weak- 
ened, as  if  it  came  from  a distance.  It  was  time  to  begin 
the  descent,  before  it  was  made  impossible  by  snow  or  cold, 
and  they  had  no  provisions  for  a sojourn  upon  the  glacier. 
After  descending  some  thousand  feet  with  exceeding  diffi- 
culty, they  entered  the  region  of  the  clouds.  Lower  down 
a little  hail  fell.  Afterward,  as  they  continued  their  descent, 
having  regained  and  remounted  their  mules,  an  icy  rain 
mingled  with  the  hail  shower.  Nevertheless,  they  arrived 
safe  and  sound,  about  eight  o’clock  p.  hi.,  at  the  farm  r 
Chimborazo. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


141 


XXXIX.— ANCIENT  ROME;  THE  CASTLE  OF  ST. 
ANGELO,  TRAJAN’S  PILLAR,  AND  THE  COLI- 
SEUM. 

Rome  is  a city  of  picturesque  ruins,  to  describe  which 
would  fill  volumes.  A few  of  the  most  interesting  are 
briefly  sketched  below.  The  Castle  of  St.  Angelo  is  the 
celebrated  fortress  of  Papal  Rome.  It  was  erected  by  Ha- 
drian, about  the  year  130  A.  D.,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Tiber.  It  is  a massive  circular  tower,  188  feet  in  diameter, 
and  standing  on  a square  basement,  each  side  of  which  is 
253  feet  in  length.  It  was  originally  built  of  Parian  marble, 
and  the  square  blocks  fitted  into  each  other  without  any 
cement.  In  height,  it  rose  above  the  walls  of  the  city,  and 
on  the  summits  were  statues  of  men  and  horses  in  Parian 
marble.  It  was  converted  into  a fortress  about  the  sixth 
century,  and  in  the  different  sieges  of  the  city  was  battered 
and  its  beauty  destroyed.  There  is  a church  tradition,  that 
while  Gregory  the  Great  was  offering  up  a solemn  service 
to  avert  a pestilence  which  threatened  the  city,  the  Arch- 
angel Michael  appeared  to  him  in  a vision  standing  on  the 
summit  of  the  fortress,  in  the  act  of  sheathing  his  sword 
to  signify  that  the  plague  was  stayed.  The  name  of  St. 
Angelo  was  derived  from  this  circumstance,  but  it  was  not 
applied  for  some  centuries  afterwards. 

About  the  year  1500  the  fortress  was  reduced  to  its  pres- 
ent form,  the  base  being  strengthened  by  erecting  a bul- 
wark between  it  and  the  bridge.  The  covered  gallery  from 
the  castle  to  the  Vatican  was  also  completed  about  this 
time.  From  the  summit  of  the  castle  the  view  is  one  of  the 
finest  on  this  side  of  Rome;  there  is  no  point  from  which 
the  gigantic  mass  of  St.  Peter’s  and  the  Vatican  is  seen  to 


142 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


so  much  advantage.  The  Castle  of  St.  Angelo  was  for  many 
years  the  principal  state  prison  of  the  Papal  Government, 
and  has  held  as  many  as  150  at  a time. 

Trajan’s  Pillar,  the  most  beautiful  historical  column  in 
the  world,  was  dedicated,  as  the  inscription  tells  us,  to  the 
honor  of  the  Emperor  by  the  Senate  and  the  Roman  people 
(A.  D.  114).  For  seventeen  centuries  this  noble  column 
has  been  regarded  as  a triumph  of  art ; and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  great  architect,  Apoliodonis,  in  con- 
structing such  a monument  to  his  benefactor,  created  at 
the  same  time  the  best  memorial  of  his  genius.  It  is  com- 
posed of  thirty-four  pieces  of  white  marble,  nine  of  which 
form  the  basement,  and  twenty-three  the  shaft.  The  re- 
maining two  form  the  moulding  and  capital.  The  pedestal 
is  covered  with  bas-reliefs  of  warlike  instruments,  shields 
and  helmets,  and  bears  an  inscription  supported  by  two 
winged  figures.  These  matchless  sculptures  are  in  a high 
state  of  preservation  and  in  the  best  taste.  Their  nature 
will  be  better  appreciated  by  the  simple  fact  that  they  con- 
tain no  less  than  2,500  human  figures,  besides  a large  num- 
ber of  horses,  fortresses,  etc,  than  by  any  minute  description. 
In  the  interior  is  a winding  staircase  of  184  steps,  lighted 
by  42  loop-holes,  and  leading  to  the  summit,  on  which  stood 
a colossal  statue  of  Trajan  holding  the  gilded  globe  which 
is  supposed  to  have  contained  his  ashes.  A statue  of  St. 
Peter,  in  bronze,  19  feet  high,  was  placed  in  its  stead  by 
Sextus  Y.  The  height  of  the  column,  exclusive  of  the 
statue,  is  126  feet. 

There  is  no  monument  of  ancient  Rome  which  artists 
and  poets  have  made  so  familiar  to  readers  of  all  classes  as 
the  Coliseum.  The  amphitheater  was  founded  by  Vespa- 
sian, A.  D.  72.  The  gladiatorial  spectacles  of  which  it  was 
the  scene  for  nearly  four  hundred  years,  are  matters  of  his- 
tory. It  is  said  that,  at  its  dedication,  5,000  wild  beasts 
were  slain,  and  the  games,  in  honor  of  the  event,  lasted  100 
days.  During  the  Christian  persecutions,  the  amphitheater 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


143 


was  the  scene  of  fearful  barbarities.  The  first  mention  of 
the  name  Coliseum  in  connection  with  it,  occurs  in  the 
writings  of  the  Venerable  Bede,  who  records  the  famous 
prophesy  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  pilgrims: 

“While  stands  the  Coliseum,  Rome  shall  stand; 

When  falls  the  Coliseum,  Rome  shall  fall ; 

And  when  Rome  falls,  the  W orld.” 

The  amphitheater  is  built  in  a circular  form  and  consisted 
of  four  stories ; the  three  lower  being  composed  of  arches 
supported  by  half  columns,  and  the  fourth  being  a solid 
wall  pierced  with  forty  square  windows.  The  height  of  the 
outer  wall  is  stated  to  be  157  feet,  and  its  diameter  about 
600  feet. 

In  its  interior,  of  course,  the  'center  is  occupied  by  the 
arena.  Around  this  were  arranged,  upon  walls  gradually 
sloping  down  towards  the  center,  the  seats  for  the  spectators. 
There  were  four  tiers  of  seats  corresponding  with  the  four 
external  stories.  The  amphitheater  is  said  to  haye  a capa- 
city of  holding  87.000  people. 

The  scene  from  the  summit  of  the  Coliseum  is  one  of  the 
most  impressive  in  the  world,  and  there  are  few  travelers 
who  do  not  visit  the  spot  by  moonlight  in  order  to  realize 
the  magnificent  description  in  “ Manfred,”  the  only  descrip- 
tion which  has  ever  done  justice  to  the  wonders  of  the 
Coliseum: 

“ I do  remember  me,  that  in  my  youth, 

When  I was  wandering, — upon  such  a night 
I stood  within  the  Coliseum’s  walls, 

’Midst  the  chief  relics  of  almighty  Rome  ; 

The  trees  which  grew  along  the  broken  arche3 
W aved  dark  in  the  blue  midnight,  and  the  stars 
Shone  through  the  rents  of  ruin  ; from  afar 

* The  watch-dog  bayed  beyond  the  Tiber  ; and 

More  near  from  out  the  Coesar’s  palace  came 
The  owl’s  long  cry,  and,  interruptedly. 

Of  distant  sentinels  the  fitful  song 
Began  and  died  upon  the  gentle  wind. 


144 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Some  cypresses  beyond  the  time-worn  breach 
Appeared  to  skirt  the  horizon,  yet  they  stood 
Within  a bow-shot  where  the  Csesars  dwelt, 

And  dwell  the  tuneless  birds  of  night,  amidst 
A grove  which  springs  through  leveled  battlements. 
And  twines  its  roots  with  the  imperial  hearths, 

Ivy  usurps  the  laurel’s  place  of  growth  ; — 

But  the  gladiators  bloody  circus  stands, 

A noble  wreck  in  ruinous  perfection  ! 

While  Caesar’s  chambers  and  the  Agustine  halls 
Grovel  on  earth  in  indistinct  decay,— 

And  thou  didst  shine,  thou  rolling  moon,  upon 
All  this,  and  cast  a wide  and  tender  light. 

Which  softened  down  the  hoar  austerity 
Of  rugged  desolation,  and  filled  up, 

As  ’twere  anew,  the  gap  of  centuries ; 

Leaving  that  beautiful  which  still  was  so. 

And  making  that  which  was  not,  till  the  place 
Became  religion,  and  the  heart  ran  o’er 
With  silent  worship  of  the  great  of  old  ! — 

The  dead  but  sceptered  sovereigns  who  still  rulo 
Our  spirits  from  their  urns.” 


XL.— INDIAN  PAGODAS,  TEMPLES  AND  RUINS. 

The  style  of  architecture  is  essentially  the  same  in  all 
Hindoo  temples.  The  body  of  the  structure  is  square  and 
massive,  enclosing  the  shrine  of  the  god.  From  a cornice 
of  great  breadth,  and  often  covered  with  sculptured  orna- 
ments, rises  a tall  spire  of  parabolic  outlines,  which  has 
the  look  of  being  formed  by  smaller  spires. 

At  Tinnevelly  there  is  .a  magnificent  temple,  now  partly 
ruined,  the  entrance  gateway  of  which  gives  an  example 
of  these  great  pyramidal  towers.  This  richly  adorned 
structure  is  probably  over  five  hundred  years  old,  though 
it  has  been  so  frequently  and  carefully  whitewashed  that 
there  is  some  difficulty  in  deciding  the  age  of  the  temple. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


145 


On  tlie  island  of  Seringham  are  two  celebrated  pagodas, 
that  have  always  commanded  the  veneration  of  the  Hin- 
doos. The  principal  of  these  has  an  outer  wall  nearly  four 
miles  long,  and  with  four  great  entrances  or  gateways. 

The  ancient  city  of  Vijianuggur  (usually  pronounced 
Beejnuggur),  or  City  of  Victory,  shows  some  of  the  grand- 
est ruins  of  India.  To  attempt  to  give  any  description  of 
this  enormous  ruined  city  seems  hopeless. 

Among  the  most  extraordinary  relics  of  India  are  the 
huge  monolith  raths  of  Mahavellipore.  It  is  doubtful  if 
the  world  can  produce  anything  more  remarkable  than  the 
monoliths  here  to  be  found.  The  <*nore  w^e  examine  them 
the  greater  is  our  astonishment  at  the  amount  of  time  and 
labor  spent  in  forming  these  marvelous  structures  in  such 
a desolate  and  dreary  spot. 

One  of  the  Hindoo  legends,  accounting  in  a manner  for 
the  unfinished  state  in  which  nearly  every  part  of  these 
structures  is  now  left,  is  as  follows : Many  hundred  years 
ago  a certain  king  in  some  distant  land  being  about  to  build 
a large  temple,  brought  together  some  1,200  stone-cutters, 
and  attempted  to  force  them  to  work  in  the  erection  of  his 
temple;  they  all  rebelled,  and  escaping  with  their  wives 
and  families  to  the  seashore,  seized  some  boats,  in  which 
they  put  to  sea,  and  were  cast  by  the  winds  and  waves 
ashore  here.  Not  caring  to  remain  idle,  and  to  keep  them- 
selves in  practice  in  their  handicraft,  they  set  to  work  to 
carve  the  rocks  into  the  temples,  caves,  &c.,  here  to  be 
found.  They  were  so  occupied  for  twelve  years,  when  the 
king,  hearing  where  they  had  gone  to,  came  with  an  army 
and  fleet  to  take  them  back  to  his  kingdom,  and  thus  the 
natives  account  for  the  fact,  which  cannot'fail  to  be  obvious 
to  all,  namely,  that  the  work,  by  whomsoever  undertaken, 
must  have  been  most  suddenly  stopped  long  before  it  was 
completed. 

7 


146 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


XLL— WATER  - FALLS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 
VALLEY. 

Among  the  beauties  of  this  strange  and  lovely  valley,  not 
the  least  are  its  wonderful  water-falls.  Their  height, 
slenderness,  and  the  sublime  scenes  around,  conspire  to  in- 
vest them  with  peculiar  interest.  One  of  the  finest  is  the 
Bridal  Vail  Fall,  which  Js  formed  by  the  creek  of  the  same 
name,  which  rises  a few  miles  east  of  Empire  Camp,  runs 
through  the  meadows,  and  finally  falls  over  the  cliff,  on  the 
west  side  of  Cathedral  Rock,  into  the  Yosemite,  in  one 
leap  of  630  feet.  The  water  strikes  here  on  a sloping  pile 
of  loose  rocks,  down  which  it  rushes  in  a series  of  cascades 
for  a perpendicular  distance  of  nearly  300  feet  more,  the 
total  height  of  the  edge  of  the  Fall  above  the  meadow  at  its 
base  being  900  feet.  The  effect  of  the  Fall,  as  everywhere 
seen  from  the  Valley,  is  as  if  it  were  900  feet  in  vertical 
height,  its  base  being  concealed  by  the  trees  which  surround 
it.  The  quantity  of  water  in  the  Bridal  Vail  Fall  varies 
greatly  with  the  season.  In  May  and  J une  the  amount  is 
generally  the  greatest,  and  it  gradually  decreases  as  the 
summer  advances.  The  effect,  however,  is  finest  when  the 
body  of  water  is  not  too  heavy,  since  then  the  swaying  from 
side  to  side,  and  the  waving  under  the  varying  pressure  of 
the  wind,  as  it  strikes  the  column  of  water,  is  more  marked. 
As  seen  from  a distance  at  such  times,  it  seems  to  flutter 
like  a white  vail,  producing  an  indescribably  beautiful 
effect.  The  name  Bridal  Vail  is  poetical,  but  fairly  appro- 
priate. 

The  Yosemite  Fall  is  formed  by  a creek  of  the  same 
name,  which  heads  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mount  Hoffman 
Group,  about  ten  miles  northeast  of  the  Valley.  The  ver« 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


147 


tical  height  of  the  lip  of  the  fall  above  the  Valley  is,  in 
round  numbers,  2,600  feet.  The  lip,  or  edge  of  the  fall,  is  a 
great,  rounded  mass  of  granite,  perfectly  smooth,  on  which 
it  is  found  to  be  a very  hazardous  matter  to  move.  A dif- 
ference of  a hundred  feet  in  a fall  of  this  height  would  be 
entirely  unperceived  by  most  eyes.  The  fall  is  not  in  one 
perpendicular  sheet.  There  is  first  a downright  descent  of 
1,500  feet,  when  the  water  strikes  on  what  seems  to  be  a 
projecting  ledge,  but  which,  in  reality,  is  a shelf  or  recess^ 
almost  a third  of  a mile  back  from  the  front  of  the  lower 
portion  of  the  cliff.  From  here  the  water  finds  its  way,  in 
a series  of  cascades,  down  a descent  equal  to  626  feet,  and 
then  gives  one  final  plunge  of  about  400  feet  to  the  rocks 
at  the  base  of  the  cliff. 

One  of  the  most  striking  features  of  the  Yosemite  Fall, 
as  in  the  Bridal  Vail  Fall,  is  the  swaying  of  the  upper  por- 
tion from  one  side  to  the  other,  under  the  influence  of  the 
wind,  which  acts  with  immense  force  on  so  long  a column. 
The  descending  mass  of  water  is  too  great  to  allow  of  its 
being  entirely  broken  up  into  spray,  but  it  widens  out  very 
much  towards  the  bottom,  probably  as  much  as  300  feet  at 
high  water,  the  space  through  which  it  moves  being  fully 
three  times  as  wide. 

The  river  descends,  in  two  miles,  over  2,600  feet,  making, 
besides  innumerable  cascades,  two  grand  falls,  which  are 
among  the  greater  attractions  of  the  Yosemite,  not  only  on 
account  of  their  height  and  the  large  body  of  water  in  the 
river  during  most  of  the  season,  but  also  on  account  of  the 
stupendous  scenery  in  the  midst  of  which  they  are  placed. 
The  first  fall  reached  in  ascending  is  the  Vernal,  a perpen- 
dicular sheet  of  water  with  a descent  varying  greatly  with 
the  season.  The  path  up  the  side  of  the  valley,  near  the 
Vernal  Fall,  winds  around  and  along  a steeply  sloping 
mountain-side,  always  wet  with  the  spray,  and,  conse- 
quently, rather  slippery  in  places.  A remarkable  parapet  of 
granite  runs  along  the  edge  of  the  Vernal  Fall'  for  some 


148 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


distance,  just  breast-high,  and  looking  as  if  made  on  pur- 
pose to  afford  the  visitor  a secure  position  from  which  to 
enjoy  the  scene. 

The  Nevada  Fall,  the  last  great  one  of  the  Merced  River, 
is,  in  every  respect,  one  of  the  grandest  water-falls  in  the 
world,  whether  we  consider  its  height,  the  purity  and  vol- 
ume of  the  river  which  forms  it,  or  the  stupendous  scenery 
by  which  it  is  surrounded.  The  fall  is  not  quite  perpendic- 
ular, as  there  is  near  the  summit  a ledge  of  rock  which 
receives  a portion  of  the  water  and  throws  it  off  with  a pe- 
culiar twist,  adding  much  to  the  general  picturesque  effect. 

There  are  numbers  of  other  falls,  each  surpassing  in  lofti- 
ness and  beauty  anything  else  known  on  the  globe,  but  the 
above  are  some  of  the  most  noted,  and  will  illustrate  the 
superiority  of  some  of  our  American  scenery  to  much  that 
has  become  famous  in  other  lands. 


XLII.— THE  BIG  TREES  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

These  giants  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  were  first  discov- 
ered in  the  year  1852.  The  genuine  Big  Tree  differs  but 
little  from  its  brother,  the  Redwood,  the  difference  consist- 
ing for  the  most  part  in  its  size,  its  more  limited  range,  and 
the  fact  of  its  being  found  in  less  numbers  at  any  one  place. 
A few  of  the  Redwood  may  be  found  just  across  the  border 
in  Oregon,  but  the  Big  Tree  has  never  been  found  outside  of 
California,  and  probably  never  will  be. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


149 


In  size  the  Redwood  falls  but  little  below  the  Big  Tree, 
and  in  general  effect  the  forests  of  Redwood  surpass  even  the 
groves  of  Big  Trees.  Let  one  imagine  an  entire  forest,  extend- 
ing as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  of  trees  of  from  eight  to  twelve 
feet  in  diameter,  and  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  Let 
high,  thickly  grouped,  not  branching  until  they  reach  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  then  forming  a dense  canopy  which  shuts  out  the  view 
of  the  sky,  the  contrast  of  the  bright  cinnamon-colored 
trunks  with  the  sombre,  deep,  yet  brilliant  green  of  the 
foliage,  the  utter  silence  of  these  forests  where  often  no 
sound  can  be  heard  except  the  low  thunder  of  the  breaking 
surf  of  the  distant  ocean, — let  one  picture  a scene  like  this, 
and  he  may  perhaps  receive  a faint  impression  of  the  ma- 
jestic grandeur  of  the  Redwood  forests  of  California. 

The  Big  Trees  occur  always  in  groves,  or  scattered  among 
a much  larger  number  of  trees  of  other  kinds.  The  area  in 
which  they  are  found  may  be  roughly  stated  at  about  fifty 
square  miles,  most  of  this  being  in  one  patch,  between 
King’s  and  Kaweah  rivers.  The  most  extensive  grove  yet 
found  is  that  called  Calaveras  Grove.  The  exact  measure- 
ment and  age  of  one  of  the  largest  trees  of  this  grove  was 
made  possible  by  cutting  it  down.  This  was  done  soon 
after  the  grove  was  discovered,  and  is  said  to  have  occupied 
five  men  during  twenty-two  days.  The  felling  was  done  by 
boring  through  the  tree  with  pump-augurs,  and  it  was  no 
small  matter  to  persuade  the  trunk  to  fall,  even  after  it  had 
been  completely  cut  from  its  base.  It  was  done,  however, 
by  driving  in  wedges  on  one  side,  until  the  ponderous  mass 
was  bent  over  enough,  which  was  not  done  until  after  three 
days  of  hard  labor.  Its  diameter  was  found  to  be  twenty- 
four  and  a half  feet  without  the  bark,  which  was  eighteen 
inches  thick.  Its  age  was  computed  by  the  rings  extending 
from  its  center,  which  denoted  its  annual  growth,  to  be 
about  thirteen  hundred  years. 

The  largest  tree  in  the  lower,  or  Mariposa  grove,  is  the 


150 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


one  known  as  the  “ Grizzled  Giant,”  which  is  ninety-three 
feet  and  seven  inches  in  circumference,  and  thirty  feet  in 
diameter,  at  its  base.  The  tree  is  very  much  injured  and 
decreased  in  size  by  burning,  yet  some  of  its  branches  are 
fully  six  feet  in  diameter,  or  as  large  as  the  largest  elms  in 
the  Connecticut  valley.  The  “ Grizzled  Giant”  has  long 
since  passed  its  prime,  and  has  the  battered  and  war-worn 
appearance  conveyed  by  its  name. 

One  tree,  which  is  fallen  and  partially  rotted  away,  is 
appropriately  called  the  “ Father  of  the  Forest,”  since  its 
dimensions  are  the  largest  of  any  yet  discovered.  It  mea- 
sures four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  its  diameter 
at  the  base  is  thirty-seven  and  a half  feet.  On  account  of 
its  rottenness  its  age  cannot  be  computed,  but  it  must  be 
considerably  greater  than  that  of  the  tree  mentioned  above, 
whose  age  is  thirteen  hundred  years. 


XLIII.— SCENES  IX  THE  FAE  WEST. 

This  portion  of  the  United  States  has  received  a great 
impetus  in  settlement  and  is  becoming  better  known, 
through  the  rapid  extension  of  facilities  for  travel  afforded 
by  the  Union  Pacific  Eailway.  This  great  thoroughfare 
connects  almost  in  a direct  line  the  two  important  points  of 
San  Francisco  and  Chicago.  Other  roads  are  being  pro- 
jected north  and  south  of  this,  which  will,  in  time,  bring 
the  whole  of  this  vast  and  hitherto  isolated  region  into 
communication  with  the  sea  both  ways.  The  history  of  the 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


151 


construction  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  is  one  of  unusual 
interest,  from  the  magnitude  and  importance  of  the  work. 
Its  passage  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  a bold  and  success- 
ful feat.  Here,  as  well  as  at  other  parts  of  the  route,  the  com- 
pany have  been  obliged,  during  the  winter  months,  to  erect 
sheds  in  order  to  prevent  the  snow  from  blocking  up  the 
track.  These  long  buildings,  sometimes  stretching  for 
miles  in  a direct  line,  present  a curious  appearance. 

The  scenery  along  the  railway  is  varied,  of  course,  from 
the  different  regions  through  which  it  passes.  Along  the 
plains  of  the  Missouri  valley  there  is  little  to  break  the 
monotony  of  the  landscape;  but  in  the  mountains  the 
scenery  often  attains  a grandeur  and  magnificence.  Among 
the  curiosities  of  this  region  may  be  mentioned  Lighthouse 
Rock,  an  immense  mass  rising  to  a height  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  A tuft  on  its  summit  resembles  somewhat 
the  top  of  a lighthouse,  whence  its  name. 

Salt  Lake  City,  the  head-quarters  of  that  class  of  religion- 
ists known  as  Mormons,  is  situated  on  the  Jordan  river, 
which  connects  the  two  lakes  of  Utah.  It  was  founded  in 
1847,  and  is  laid  out  in  fine  streets  and  squares,  the  latter 
of  which  are  well  supplied  with  trees  and  fountains.  The 
houses  are  all  built  of  adol  o,  or  sun-dried  bricks.  Its  popu- 
lation is  nearly  20,000,  of  which  three-fourths  are  Mormons. 
Latterly,  actions  have  been  commenced  in  the  United 
States  Courts  of  Utah  against  leading  Mormons  on  account 
of  their  practice  of  polygamy ; and  there  is  little  doubt  that 
ere  long  this  feature  of  their  religion  will  be  abolished. 

Among  the  curiosities  of  California  must  be  included  its 
celebrated  Thermal  Springs,  situated  in  a gorge  of  the 
valley  of  Napa,  and  called  the  “Devil’s  Canon.”  The  nar- 
row ravine,  filled  with  vapor  rising  in  eddies,  opens  on  the 
side  of  a red  and  bare  mountain,  that  one  might  fancy  was 
scorched  by  fire.  The  entry  to  the  ravine  follows  the  course 
of  a rivulet,  the  boiling  waters  of  which  are  mingled  with  a 
chemical  substance  horrible  to  the  taste.  Innumerable 


152 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


springs — some  sulphurous,  others  charged  with  alum  or  salt 
— gush  out  at  the  base  of  the  rocks.  There  are  both  warm 
and  cold  springs,  and  hot  and  boiling ; some  are  blue  and 
transparent,  others  white,  yellow,  or  red  with  ochre.  In  a 
cavity  which  is  called  the  “ Sorcerer’s  Caldron,”  a mass  of 
black  and  fetid  mud  boils  up  in  great  bubbles. 

Higher  up,  the  “ Devil’s  Steamboat”  darts  out  jets  of 
gaseous  matter,  which  issue  puffing  from  a wall  of  rock ; 
fumerolles  may  be  seen  by  hundreds  on  the  sides  of  the 
mountain.  All  these  various  agents  either  murmur,  whistle, 
rumble  or  roar,  and  thus  a tempest  of  deafening  sounds  inces- 
santly fills  the  gorge.  The  burning  ground,  composed  of  a 
clayey  mud — in  one  spot  yellow  with  sulphur,  and  in  an- 
other white  with  chalk — gives  way  under  the  feet  of  the 
traveler  who  ventures  on  it,  and  gives  vent  to  puffs  of 
vapor  through  its  numberless  cracks.  The  whole  gorge 
appears  to  be  the  common  outlet  of  numerous  reservoirs  of 
various  mineral  waters,  all  heated  by  some  great  volcanic 
furnace. 


XLIY. — THE  RIVER  SACO. 

Forth  from  New  Hampshire’s  granite  steeps 
Fair  Saco  rolls  in  - chainless  pride, 
Rejoicing  as  it  laughs  and  leaps 

Down  the  gray  mountain’s  rugged  side  ; 
The  stern,  rent  crags,  and  tall,  dark  pines, 
W atch  that  young  pilgrim  passing  by. 
While  close  above  them  frowns  or  shines 
The  black,  torn  cloud,. or  deep-blue  sky. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


153 


Soon,  gathering  strength,  it  swiftly  takes 
Through  Bartlett’s  vales  its  tuneful  way. 

Or  hides  in  Conway’s  fragrant  brakes, 
Retreating  from  the  glare  of  day  ; 

Now,  full  of  vigorous  life,  it  springs 

From  the  strong  mountain’s  circling  arms, 

And  roams  in  wide  and  lucid  rings, 

Among  green  Fryeburg’s  woods  and  farms. 

Here,  with  low  voice,  it  comes  and  calls 
For  tribute  from  some  hermit  lake ; 

And  here  it  wildly  foams  and  falls. 

Bidding  the  forest  echoes  wake : 

And  sweeping  on,  it  run3  its  race. 

By  mound  and  mill,  in  playful  glee ; 

Now  welcomes  with  its  pure  embrace 
The  vestal  waves  of  Ossipee. 

At  last,  with  loud  and  solemn  roar, 

Spurning  each  rocky  sledge  and  bar. 

It  sinks  where,  on  the  soundiug  shore. 

The  broad  Atlantic  heaves  afar. 

There,  on  old  ocean’s  faithful  breast. 

Its  wealth  of  wares  it  proudly  flings ; 

And  there  its  weary  waters  rest, 

Clear  as  they  left  their  crystal  springs. 

Sweet  stream  ! it  were  a fate  divine, 

Till  this  world’s  tasks  and  toils  were  done. 

To  go,  like  those  bright  floods  of  thine, 
Refreshing  all,  enslaved  by  none ; 

To  pass  through  scenes  of  calm  and  strife, 
Singing  like  thee,  with  holy  mirth, 

And  close  in  peace  a varied  life. 

Unsullied  by  one  stain  of  earth. 


4* 


154 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


/ 


XLY.— THE  WHITE  MOUNTAINS. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  White  Moun- 
tains in  New  Hampshire  is  Franconia  Notch,  a pass  about 
five,  miles  in  extent  between  Mount  Lafayette  and  Cannon. 
Its  width  is  about  half  a mile ; and  the  narrow  district  thus 
enclosed  contains  more  objects  of  interest  to  the  masses  of 
travelers  than  any  other  region  of  equal  extent  within  the 
compass  of  the  usual  White  Mountain  town.  In  the  way 
of  rock  sculpture  and  water-falls,  it  is  a huge  museum  of 
curiosities.  There  is  no  spot  usually  visited  in  any  of  the 
valleys  where  the  senses  are  at  once  impressed  so  strongly 
and  so  pleasantly  with  the  wildness  and  freshness  which  a 
stranger  instinctively  associates  with  mountain  scenery  in 
New  Hampshire.  There  is  no  other  spot  where  the  visitor 
is  domesticated  amid  the  most  savage  and  startling  forms  in 
which  cliff  and  forest  are  combined.  And  yet  there  is 
beauty  enough  intermixed  with  the  sublimity  and  the  wild- 
ness to  make  the  scenery  permanently  attractive,  as  well  as 
grand  and  exciting. 

Large  portions  of  the  mountain  wall  opposite  the  hotel 
are  even  more  abrupt  than  in  the  great  Notch  ; but  it  bends 
in  a very  graceful  curve ; the  purple  tinge  of  the  rocks  is 
always  grateful  to  the  eye ; and  the  forest  foliage  that  clam- 
bers up  the  sharp  acclivities,  fastening  its  roots  in  the  crev- 
ices and  resisting  the  storms  and  torrents,  relieves  the  som- 
breness of  the  bending  battlement  by  its  color,  and  softens 
its  sublimity  with  grace. 

The  great  curiosity  of  the  Franconia  Notch  is  the  “ Great 
Stone  Face,”  or,  as  it  is  often  called,  the  “ Old  Man  of  the 
Mountain,”  that  hangs  upon  one  of  its  highest  cliffs.  If  its 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


155 


inclosing  walls  were  less  grand,  and  its  water  gems  less 
lovely,  travelers  would  be  still  as  strongly  attracted  to  the 
spot,  that  they  might  see  a mountain  which  breaks  into 
human  expression, — a piece  of  sculpture  older  than  the 
sphinx, — an  intimation  of  the  human  countenance,  which 
is  the  crown  of  all  beauty,  that  was  pushed  out  of  the  coarse 
strata  of  New  England  thousands  of  years  before  Adam, 
The  marvel  of  this  countenance,  outlined  so  distinctly 
against  the  sky  at  an  elevation  of  1,500  feet  above  the  road, 
is  greatly  increased  by  the  fact  that  it  is  composed  of  three 
masses  of  rock  which  are  not  in  perpendicular  line  with 
each  other. 

On  the  brow  of  the  mountain  itself,  standing  on  the  visor 
that  covers  its  face,  or  directly  underneath  it  on  the  shore 
of  the  little  lake,  there  is  no  intimation  of  any  human  fea- 
tures in  the  lawless  rocks.  Remove  but  a few  rods  -either 
way  from  the  guide-brand  on  the  road,  when  you  are  advised 
to  look  up,  and  the  charm  is  dissolved. 

The  whole  profile  is  about  eighty  feet  in  length ; and  of 
three  separate  masses  of  rock,  which  are  combined  in  its 
composition,  one  forms  the  forehead,  another  the  nose  and 
upper  lip,  and  the  third  the  chin.  The  best  time  to  see  the 
profile  is  about  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  of  a summer 
day.  The  expression  is  really  noble,  with  a suggestion 
partly  of  fatigue  and  melancholy.  He  seems  to  be  waiting 
for  some  visitor  or  message.  Those  who  can  see  this?  rock 
with  a thunder-cloud  behind,  and  a slaty  scud  driven  thin 
across  it,  will  carry  away  the  grandest  impressions  which  it 
ever  makes  on  the  beholders’  mind.  And  many,  doubtless, 
have  looked  up  with  awe  to  the  great  Stone  Face,  with  a 
feeling  that  it  possessed  a higher  expression  of  infinite  power 
and  art  than  any  mortal  countenance. 

In  the  Saco  valley  the  Notch  has  attained  a deserved 
reputation  for  the  wildness  and  majesty  of  its  situation. 
In  the  Notch  you  stand  between  walls  two  miles  long,  and 
there  are  no  ragged,  nervous  lines  of  rock  running  down 


156 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


from  a cloud,  or  lying  sharp  against  the  blue  distance.  But 
to  know  the  Notch  truly,  one  must  take  a drive  to  the  top 
and  look  down  into  it.  A man  stands  then  as  an  ant  might 
stand  on  the  edge  of  a huge  tureen.  He  is  lifted  twelve 
hundred  feet  over  the  gulf,  on  the  brink  of  an  almost  per- 
pendicular wall,  and  sees  the  mountains  rising  on  either 
hand,  eight  hundred  feet  higher  still. 

Those  who  love  mountain  cascades  will  find  a new  temp- 
tation to  a visit  to  the  Notch.  The  Flume  and  the  Silver 
Cascade,  pouring  down  from  Mount  Webster,  have  glad- 
dened the  eyes  of  all  visitors  to  the  hotel,  for  they  are  visi- 
ble from  the  road.  The  Flume  is  an  exceedingly  narrow 
gorge,  with  perpendicular  walls,  so  close  that  two  could 
hardly  walk  abreast  in  its  bed,  down  which  murmurs  a lit- 
tle stream  to  the  Saco,  or  some  one  of  its  tributaries.  At 
one  point  in  the  Flume  is  a huge  boulder,  caught  in  its 
jaws  while  trying  some  time  to  fall.  The  source  of  the 
Saco,  not  far  from  here,  is  a wildly  romantic  spot  among 
the  hills,  and  carefully  guarded  by  a thick  growth  of  pine 
and  oak. 


XL VI.— -THE  GRAY  OLD  MAN  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN. 

Where  a tall  post  beside  the  road  displays 
Its  lettered  arm,  pointing  the  traveler’s  eye 
Through  the  small  opening  mid  the  green  birch  trees, 
Toward  yonder  mountain  summit  towering  high. 

There  pause.  What  doth  thy  anxious  gaze  espy  ? 

A crag  abrupt  hung  from  the  mountain’s  brow  ! 

Look  closer  ! scan  that  bare,  sharp  cliff  on  high  ! 

Aha  ! the  wondrous  shape  bursts  on  thee  now — 

A perfect  human  face, — neck,  chin,  mouth,  nose,  and  brow 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


157 


And  full  and  plain  those  features  are  displayed, 

Thus  profiled  forth  against  the  clear,  blue  sky ; 

As  though  some  sculptor’s  chisel  here  had  made 
This  fragment  of  colossal  imagery, 

The  compass  of  his  plastic  art  to  try. 

From  the  curved  neck  up  to  the  shaggy  hair 
That  shoots  on  pine  trees  from  the  head  on  high, 

All,  all  is  perfect ; no  illusions  there 

To  cheat  the  expecting  eye  with  fancied  forms  of  air 

Most  wondrous  vision ! the  broad  earth  hath  not, 
Through  all  her  bounds,  an  object  like  to  thee, 

That  traveler  e’er  recorded ; nor  a spot 
More  fit  to  stir  the  poets  phantasy. 

Gray  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,  awfully 

There  from  the  wreath  of  clouds  thou  dost  uprear 
Those  features  grand,  the  same  eternally  ! 

Lone  dweller  ’mid  the  hills  ! with  gaze  austere 
Thou  lookest  down,  methinks,  on  all  below  thee  here ! 

And  curious  travelers  have  descried  the  trace 
Of  the  sage  Franklin’s  physiognomy 
In  that  most  grave  and  philosophic  face. 

If  it  be  true,  Old  Man,  that  we  do  see 
Sage  Franklin’s  countenance,  thou,  indeed,  must  be 
A learned  philosopher  most  wise  and  staid. 

From  all  that  thou  hast  had  a chance  to  see. 

Since  earth  began.  Here  thou,  too,  oft  hast  played 
With  lightnings,  glancing  round  thy  rugged  head. 


XLVIL— LONDON  SIGHTS  AND  SCENES. 


In  speaking  of  particular  localities  in  the  metropolis,  we 
shall  necessarily  be  limited  to  a very  few  of  the  most 
remarkable. 


158 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Trafalgar  square,  called  by  Sir  Bobert  Peel  the  finest  site 
in  Europe,  is  situate  at  the  turning-points  from  West- 
minster Bridge  and  various  parts  of  the  West  End  to  the 
city.  It  is  decorated  with  a superb  fountain  ; here  also  is 
the  famous  Nelson  monument.  The  square  is  surrounded 
by  some  of  the  finest  buildings  in  London,  and,  from  its 
proximity  to  the  club-houses  and  the  houses  of  Parliament, 
is  one  of  the  most  busy  localities  in  the  metropolis. 

Charing  Cross,  in  the  vicinity,  is  almost  as  important  a 
center  for  its  busy  crowds  as  Trafalgar,  and  during  what  is 
called  “ the  season,”  cabs  start  thence  in  all  directions  in 
such  numbers  that  Charing  Cross  has  often  been  called  the 
center  of  cabs. 

The  royal  palaces,  are  Buckingham  Palace,  the  only  town 
residence  of  the  sovereign ; St.  James’  in  Pall  Mall,  por- 
tions of  which  are  inhabited  by  the  Cambridge  branch  of 
the  royal  family;  and  Kensington  Palace,  in  which  Queen 
Victoria  was  born. 

Buckingham  Palace,  from  its  cost  and  magnitude,  com- 
mands attention.  The  body  of  the  palace  forms  a parallel- 
ogram containing  an  inner  court.  The  internal  arrange- 
ments are  unworthy  of  royalty,  the  corridors  being  dark 
and  low-roofed.  The  grounds  behind  the  palace  are  beau- 
tifully laid  out,  and  the  west  side  of  the  building,  which 
fronts  them,  is  much  admired. 

The  palace  of  Westminster,  occupying  the  site  on  the 
banks  of  the  Thames  of  the  old  houses  of  Parliament,  is  a 
most  imposing  structure.  It  has  an  entire  length  of  900 
feet,  and  its  southern  end  is  surmounted  by  the  great  Vic- 
toria tower,  300  feet  high.  On  the  river  front  the  richness 
of  tracery  and  endless  variety  of  minute  and  labored  orna- 
ment is  astonishing  to  a close  observer.  Built  of  a York- 
shire stone,  this  front  rests  on  a foundation  of  granite,  and 
has  a long  terrace  nearly  on  a level  with  high  water.  The 
majestic  proportions  of  this  fine  structure  are  very  imposing, 
and  the  historical  associations  connected  with  it  give  it 
additional  interest. 


the  'Would  in  the  stereoscope. 


159 


The  Tower  of  London,  so  intimately  connected  with  the 
history  of  England  itself,  was  begun  by  William  the  Con- 
queror, in  1078.  For  many  centuries  this  fortress  was  used 
as  a palace  and  a state  prison,  and  contained  the  chief  mint 
of  the  kingdom  ; but  it  is  no  longer  used  for  any  of  these 
purposes.  The  only  portions  to  which  the  public  are 
admitted  are  the  armories,  the  jewel-house,  containing  the 
regalia  and  coronation  plate,  and  the  Beauchamp  Tower, 
in  which  Lady  Jane  Grey  was  confined. 

Crystal  Palace  is  the  name  of  the  structure  in  which  the 
great  exhibition  of  works  of  industry  of  all  nations  was 
held  in  London,  in  1851.  This  was  taken  down  and  a new 
and  permanent  building  has  since  been  erected,  at  a cost  of 
about  $8,000,000.  It  has  splendid  gardens  and  water-works, 
and  arrangements  for  musical  and  other  public  entertain- 
ments, and  containing,  besides  industrial  exhibitions,  an 
extensive  museum  of  ancient  and  mediaeval  art,  and  speci- 
mens in  all  branches  of  botany,  zoology,  and  other  depart- 
ments of  science. 

The  town  of  Greenwich,  situated  about  five  miles  south- 
east of  London,  has  for  its  great  objects  of  attraction,  its 
hospital  for  aged  and  disabled  seamen,  and  its  observatory, 
whence  longitude  is  generally  reckoned.  The  hospital,  first 
opened  in  1705,  occupies  the  site  of  an  ancient  royal  palace 
which  was  the  birth-place  of  Henry  VIII  and  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. This  institution  generally  supports  about  3,000  pen- 
sioners in  the  building. 


160 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


XLYIIL— PARIS. 

Within  the  last  few  years,  this  city  has  undergone- so 
many  changes  of  estate  as  to  be  at  present  scarcely  recogniz- 
able. Many  of  the  old  thoroughfares  and  places  of  resort 
have  been  disfigured  or  destroyed  by  the  hand  of  war,  and 
those  that  remain,  are  sadly  altered ; yet  we  hope  that  ere 
long  Paris  will  reappear  in  the  garb  which  has  for  so  long  a 
time  delighted  the  civilized  world.  In  describing  the  prin- 
cipal features  of  the  city,  we  shall  speak  of  them  as  they 
were  before  the  Prussian  invasion,  when  Paris  was  resplen- 
dent— the  seat  of  beauty  in  architecture,  as  well  as  of  gaiety 
and  fashion  in  society.  Hereafter  will  be  found  a sketch 
of  Paris  as  it  appeared  shortly  after  the  siege. 

The  streets  of  Paris  are  in  themselves  a wonder,  not  more 
from  the  fine  buildings  with  which  they  are  lined,  and  the 
cleanliness  in  which  they  are  kept,  than  from  the  gay 
throngs  of  equipages  and  pedestrians  that  frequent  them 
at  all  hours  of  the  day.  The  Eue  de  Eivoli  has  acquired  a 
wide  reputation  from  its  length  and  beauty.  It  is  one  of 
the  great  arteries  of  Paris,  and  extends  for  two  miles  in  one 
straight  line,  connecting  the  utmost  limits  of  the  Tuileries 
with  the  Eue  St.  Antoine.  It  was  begun  in  1802,  and  con- 
tinued with  a uniform  system  of  arcades  to  the  northern 
pavilion  of  the  Tuileries,  thus  opening  the  noble  garden  of 
the  palace  to  public  view  on  the  northern  side. 

The  menacing  prospect  of  serious  danger  to  the  State, 
roused  the  Government  of  1848  to  provide  work  for  the 
laboring  classes  at  any  cost,  and  it  resolved  to  continue  the 
Eue  de  Eivoli.  During  the  reign  of  Louis  Napoleon,  this 
street  has  been  much  prolonged  and  the  arcades  extended. 
In  the  building  of  the  street  a vast  sum  of  money  has  been 
expended,  and  over  1,000  houses  demolished. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


161 


Among  other  famous  architectural  works,  the  Pont  Neuf, 
a bridge  connecting  one  part  of  the  city  with  an  island  in 
the  Seine,  is  conspicuous.  It  was  begun  in  the  reign  of 
Hejiry  III,  in  the  year  1578,  and  was  reconstructed  in  1852. 
It  consists  of  two  parts : the  northern  one  contains  seven 
circular  arches ; the  southern  one  only  five.  Its  total  length 
is  1,020  feet,  and  its  breadth  78.  It  has  semi-circular  re- 
cesses, with  stone  seats,  and  42  ornamental  lamp-posts. 
On  the  square  area,  at  the  junction  of  the  two  parts  of  the 
bridge,  a bronze  statue  was  erected  to  Henry  IV  by  his 
widow,  Maria  de  Medicis.  It  consisted  of  a bronze  horse, 
surmounted  by  a figure  of  the  king.  This  was  afterward 
destroyed,  and  the  present  statue  erected  by  Louis  XVIII. 
The  height  of  this  beautiful  statue  is  14  feet,  and  its  weight 
30,000  lbs.  The  pedestal  of  white  marble  is  approached  by 
seven  steps  of  the  same,  running  all  round  and  enclosed  by 
a railing. 

The  merchants  and  stock-brokers  of  Paris  meet  for  the 
transaction  of  business  in  a fine  building  called  the  Bourse. 
Such  meetings  were  first  regularly  held  in  1724,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Law,  the  originator  of  the  great  South  Sea  hum- 
bug. The  present  building  was  erected  in  1808.  It  is  a 
parallelogram  of  212  feet  by  126,  and  surrounded  by  sixty 
Corinthian  columns,  the  whole  approached  by  a flight  of 
steps  extending  along  the  entire  western  front.  The  roof  is 
entirely  of  iron  and  copper.  At  the  corners  of  the  edifice 
are  four  statues,  representing  Commerce,  Justice,  Industry, 
and  Agriculture.  The  hall  where  the  merchants  and  stock- 
brokers meet  will  contain  2,000  persons,  and  is  paved  en- 
tirely with  marble. 

The  palace  of  the  Corps  Legislatif  was  first  erected  in 
1722  for  a private  residence,  but  was  appropriated  during 
the  revolution  of  1789  by  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred  for 
their  meetings,  who  in  turn  rendered  it  up  to  the  Corps 
Legislatif.  An  iron  railing,  with  two  gates,  gives  access  to 
the  edifice,  the  front  of  which  consists  of  twelve  Corinthian 


162  THE  WOELD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 

columns  resting  on  a broad  flight  of  steps.  At  their  foot 
are  colossal  statues  of  Justice  and  Prudence,  eighteen  feet 
high.  The  Legislative  hall  is  of  a semi-circular  form,  and 
is  ornamented  with  twenty-four  columns  of  single  blocks 
of  white  marble,  having  capitals  of  gilt  bronze.  The  Presi- 
dent’s chair  is  situated  in  the  center  of  the  axis  of  the 
semi-circle,  around  which  rise  in  gradation  five  hundred 
seats  for  the  members.  The  whole  is  fitted  up  in  crimson 
velvet  and  gold. 


XLIX.— PARIS  AFTER  THE  WAR. 

The  great  events  of  the  Franco-Prussian  War  of  1870  are 
well-known,  as  are  also  the  long  train  of  terrible  circum- 
stances following  the  first  defeat  of  the  French  army.  The 
declaration  of  the  Republic  and  the  ravages  of  the  Com- 
mune, occupied  for  six  months  the  attention  of  the  world. 

An  eye-witness  thus  describes  the  appearance  of  the  city 
after  the  war.  The  aspect  of  the  Boulevards  is  the  strangest 
sight  imaginable.  I followed  them  from  the  Porte  St. 
Martin  to  the  Rue  de  la  Paix.  Strewn  over  the  streets 
were  branches  of  trees  and  fragments  of  masonry  that  had 
been  knocked  from  the  houses.  Bricks  and  mortar,  torn 
proclamations,  shreds  of  clothing  half  concealing  blood 
stains,  were  now  the  interesting  and  leading  features  of 
that  fashionable  resort;  foot-passengers  were  few  and  far 
between ; the  shops  and  cafes  hermetically  closed,  except- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


163 


in g where  bullets  had  made  air-holes ; and  during  my 
whole  afternoon’s  promenade,  I only  met  three  other  car- 
riages beside  my  own.  The  Place  de  l’Opera  was  a camp- 
ing-ground of  artillery,  the  Place  Vendome  a confusion  of 
barricades  guarded  by  sentries,  and  the  Rue  Royale  a mass 
of  debris . Looked  at  from  the  Madeleine,  the  desolation 
and  ruin  of  that  handsome  street  were  lamentable  to  be- 
hold. 

The  Place  de  la  Concorde  was  a desert,  and  in  the  midst 
of  it  lay  the  statue  of  Lille,  with  the  head  off.  Near  the 
bridge  were  twenty-four  corpses  of  insurgents,  laid  out  in  a 
row,  waiting  to  be  buried  under  the  neighboring  paying- 
stones.  To  the  right,  the  skeleton  of  the  Tuileries  reared 
its  gaunt  shell,  the  frame-work  of  the  lofty  wing  next  the 
Seine  still  standing;  but  the  whole  of  the  roof  of  the  cen- 
tral building  was  gone,  and  daylight  visible  through  all  the 
windows,  right  into  the  Place  du  Carrousel. 

I passed  the  Corps  Legislatif,  also  uninjured  by  fire,  but 
much  marked  by  shot  and  shell,  and  so  along  the  whole 
way  to  the  Mint,  at  which  point  General  Vinoy  had  estab- 
lished his  head-quarters.  At  the  corner  of  the  Rue  de  Bac, 
the  destruction  was  something  appalling.  The  Rue  de  Bac 
is  an  impassable  mound  of  ruins,  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
high,  completely  across  the  street,  as  far  as  I could  see. 

At  this  point,  in  whichever  direction  one  looked,  the 
same  awful  devastation  met  the  eye;  -to  the  left,  the 
smouldering  Tuileries,  to  the  right,  the  long  line  of  ruin 
where  the  fire  had  swept  through  the  magnificent  palaces, 
and  overhead  again,  to-day,  a cloud  of  smoke,  more  black 
and  abundant  than  even  yesterday,  incessantly  rolling  its 
dense  volumes  from  behind  Notre  Dame,  whose  two  towers 
were  happily  standing  uninjured.  In  another  direction  the 
Arsenal  was  also  burning.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river 
were  the  smoking  ruins  of  the  Theatre  Chatelet,  and  the 
Hotel  de  Ville.  A large  part  of  the  Palais  Royal  is  burned. 

Of  the  public  buildings  burned,  some,  identified  with  the 


1G4  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

/ 1 

past  history  of  the  nation,  cannot  be  replaced.  Among  them, 
the  Tuileries  takes  rightfully  the  first  place.  Its  history  ex- 
tends oyer  centuries.  The  exterior  of  the  palace  was  grand 
and  imposing.  The  extreme  length  of  the  front  was  336 
yards ; its  breadth,  36  yards.  All  that  wealth  and  taste  could 
accomplish  was  employed,  under  successive  monarchs,  to 
embellish  its  interior.  The  Emperor’s  private  apartments 
were  gorgeously  decorated.  The  theater  could  accommo- 
date 800  spectators,  and  was  used  as  a supper-room  when 
balls  were  given  at  Court.  The  Chapel  of  the  Palace  was 
rather  plain,  and  had  a gallery  and  ceiling  resting  upon 
Doric  columns  of  stone  and  stucco.  The  Peace  Saloon  was 
used  as  a ball-room,  and  was  140  feet  long  by  35  feet  broad, 
and  contained  splendid  statuary.  The  Hall  of  the  Mar- 
shals was  remarkable  for  its  splendor.  The  names  of  the 
great  battles  fought  under  the  First  Empire  were  inscribed 
on  its  walls,  and  around  the  hall  were  busts  of  distinguished 
generals  and  naval  commanders,  while  portraits  of  the  great 
marshals  of  France  adorned  its  panels.  The  furniture  was 
ornamented  with  green  velvet  and  gold.  This  was  used  as 
a ball-room  on  state  occasions. 

Four  other  magnificent  halls  were  conspicuous  features. 

The  Throne  Hall,  a splendid  apartment,  contained  the  im- 
perial throne.  The  hangings  were  of  dark  velvet  of  Lyons 
manufacture,  with  palm  leaves  and  wreaths  wrought  in 
gold.  The  throne,  facing  the  windows,  was  surmounted  by 
a canopy  of  the  same,  and  the  drapery  depending  from  it 
was  studded  with  bees,  embroidered  in  gold. 

The  Louvre,  which  fortunately  was  only  partially  des- 
troyed, was  mainly  constructed  by  Louis  XIV,  but  was  left 
in  a comparatively  unfinished  condition  until  1802,  when 
Napoleon  resumed  the  works,  and  under  him  the  Louvre 
was  finished  and  the  surrounding  streets  and  places  cleared. 

Its  internal  arrangements  were  made  principally  by  Char- 
les X and  Louis  Philippe.  Since  the  time  of  Louis  XV,  it 
has  been  devoted  to  the  reception  of  the  various  museums 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBE09C0PE. 


165 


of  the  fine  arts,  and  was  occasionally  used  for  great  ceremo- 
nies of  state.  The  eastern  front  of  the  Louvre  was  one  of 
the  finest  pieces  of  architecture  of  &ny  age.  The  grand 
colonnade  was  composed  of  28  coupled  Corinthian  columns, 
fronting  a wide  gallery.  The  central  part  of  the  building, 
forming  the  gateway,  was  crowned  by  a pediment,  the 
raking  cornices  of  which  were  each  of  a single  piece.  The 
gates  themselves,  made  by  order  of  Napoleon,  were  of 
magnificently  worked  bronze.  This  front  was  528  feet  long 
and  85  feet  high.  The  southern  front  was  decorated  with 
40  Corinthian  pilasters,  and,  like  the  eastern,  had  a richly 
adorned  pediment  over  the  central  compartment.  The 
northern  front  consisted  of  a central  and  two  side  pavilions 
projecting  from  the  main  body. 

Almost  all  the  interior  of  this  palace  was  devoted  to  the 
museums  for  which  it  was  so  celebrated.  These  consisted 
of  magnificent  apartments,  filled  with  the  rarest  and  most 
valuable  antiquities  and  artistic  productions  that  France 
could  secure  through  the  reigns  of  successive  sovereigns, 
who  made  additions  to  it  a subject  of  pride  and  emulation. 
Besides  these,  however,  there  was  a library  of  great  value, 
containing  two  choice  collections  of  American  books,  and 
books  on  the  discovery  of  this  country,  and  many  other 
valuable  works,  and  vast  collections  from  America,  China, 
India,  and  Europe,  which  were  entirely  destroyed. 

The  Hotel  de  Viile  was  the  place  of  assembly  of  the 
Municipality  of  Paris,  and  was  erected  and  embellished  at 
an  expense  of  upward  of  $4,000,000.  It  contained  several 
magnificent  state  apartments,  decorated  in  a highly  artistic 
manner,  and  furnished  at  immense  expense.  All  the  revo-  * 
lutions  of  France  were  associated  with  the  Grand  Hall  of 
this  building.  From  it  Louis  XYI  spoke  to  the  populace 
with  the  cap  of  liberty  on  his  head.  It  was  in  this  edifice 
also  that  Eobespierre  held  his  council  and  afterward  at- 
tempted to  destroy  himself;  and  it  was  at  one  of  these 


166 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


•windows  that  General  Lafayette  embraced  Louis  Philippe 
and  presented  him  to  the  people. 

The  Palais  Royal,  which  has  shared  in  the  general 
destruction,  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  palaces  of 
Paris,  and  was  fitted  up  in  splendid  style  for  Prince  Jerome 
and  Prince  Napoleon.  Historical  associations  of  deep  in- 
terest were  connected  with  it. 

One  of  the  most  absurd  and  insane  acts  of  the  Commune 
was  the  destruction  of  the  Napoleon  Column  in  the  Place 
Vendome.  The  following  graphic  description  is  by  an  eye- 
witness of  the  scene : 

The  street  was  so  crowded  that  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  I and  two  friends  elbowed  our  way  through 
the  densely  packed  masses  of  people.  No  one  was  admitted 
on  the  Place  Vendome  itself  without  a special  ticket  issued 
by  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety.  Furnished  with  such 
a ticket,  I was  able  to  penetrate  to  the  Place  Vendome,  and 
observe  the  preparations  which  had  been  made  for  the  fall 
of  the  famous  column.  They  seemed  at  first  sight  totally 
inadequate  for  so  vast  an  undertaking.  A large  cable  had 
been  passed  around  the  top  of  the  column  just  below  the 
statue;  this  rope  (or  rather  these  ropes,  for  there  were  four 
of  them)  was  attached  to  an  anchor  and  capstan  in  the  Rue 
de  la  Paix.  But  the  anchor  and  capstan  were  both  so  ex- 
ceedingly badly  fixed  in  the  ground  that  it  was  evident  to 
the  most  inexperienced  observer  that,  unless  the  column 
fell  of  its  own  weight,  something  was  sure  to  give  way  in 
the  tackling.  The  engineer,  however,  like  most  French- 
men, was  wonderfully  self-confident,  and  assured  every  one 
yho  chose  to  listen  to  him  that  the  column  would  fall 
whenever  he  gave  word  for  the  ropes  to  be  tightened.  At 
about  3 o’clock  we,  in  the  Place,  were  all  driven  back  on  to 
the  sidewalks  by  a line  of  guards. 

Colonel  Mayer,  who  commanded  in  the  Place  Vendome, 
then  ascended  the  column  in  full  uniform  of  the  National 
Guards,  with  a small  tricolor  flag  in  his  hand.  , After  walk- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


167 


ixig  around  the  gallery  at  the  top  of  the  column,  and  waving 
his  flag  to  all  the  quarters  of  the  heavens,  Colonel  Mayer 
then  tore  the  bunting  and  proceeded  to  tie  it,  point  down- 
ward, to  the  rails  surrounding  the  crowning  gallery.  He 
then  came  down,  and  the  order  to  tighten  the  ropes  was 
almost  immediately  given  by  a member  of  the  Commune 
standing  in  the  balcony  of  the  Ministry  of  Justice,  just 
above  where  I was  stationed.  Rapidly  the  big  ropes  became  as 
rigid  as  bars  of  steel ; all  eyes  were  turned  toward  the  column, 
and  we  all  thought  its  hour  had  come,  more  especially  be- 
cause a rapidly  passing  cloud  made  it  look  as  if  it  already 
trembled  on  its  base.  But  the  capstan  turned  without 
effect,  when  suddenly  a loud  crack  was  heard,  and  a block 
attached  to  the  capstan  gave  way,  knocking  over  several 
sailors.  Nobody,  however,  was  badly  hurt,  but  we  were  told 
that  nothing  could  be  done  for  two  hours,  as  a new  block 
must  be  obtained. 

About  5 o’clock  it  was  announced  that  all  was  ready,  and 
two  new  ropes  were  attached  to  the  top  of  the  column  in 
order  to  shake  it  so  as  to  add  to  the  steady  tension  of  the 
ropes  already  described.  At  5.20  the  six  ropes  began  to 
tighten,  amid  breathless  expectation  from  the  assembled 
thousands.  For  nearly  fiye  minutes  no  effect  whatever 
seemed  to  be  produced  on  the  majestic  column,  which  still 
rose  against  the  bright  blue  sky  as  bold  and  majestic  as 
ever,  and  seeming  to  defy  fate  and  the  Commune.  The  men 
at  the  capstan  strained  and  sweated,  and  the  engineer  ran 
about  from  capstan  to  column  and  from  column  to  capstan 
like  one  demented.  Suddenly  there  was  a cry,  and  surely 
and  slowly  the  huge  bronze  mass  bowed  and  tumbled  toward 
the  Rue  de  la  Paix,  and  fell  on  its  bed  of  fagots,  sand  and 
dung.  Strange  to  say,  as  it  fell  it  burst  into  three  or  four 
pieces  before  it  touched  the  ground.  Striking  the  bed  with 
a loud  report,  it  hurled  the  fagots,  and  even  pieces  of  the 
bas-reliefs,  right  and  left.  A huge  cloud  of  dust  arose  at 
once,  but  the  crowd  rushed  madly  forward  to  secure  relics 


168  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

of  the  fallen  monument.  Like  flies  on  a carcass,  we  were 
all  busy  in  ten  seconds  after  the  column  had  fallen  in  secur- 
ing pieces  of  its  remains. 


L.— PARIS  AND  CHICAGO. 

O bird  with  a crimson  wing, 

And  a brand  in  thy  glowing  beak ; 

Why  didst  thou  flutter  o’er  seas  to  bring 
A woe  that  we  dare  not  speak. 

By  the  light  of  a flaming  sword, 

Did  the  beautiful  Queen  of  the  East 

Behold  the  awful,  avenging  word. 

And  drink  the  blood  of  the  feast. 

Her  fires  went  out  on  the  hearth, 

And  the  glory  of  Paris  has  fled ; 

Could  her  maddening  wiles  and  unseemly  mirth. 
Unstop  the  ears  of  the  dead ! 

Did  out  of  her  ashes  arise, 

This  bird  with  a flaming  crest ; 

That  over  the  ocean  unhindered  flies, 

With  a scourge  for  the  Queen  of  the  West? 

See  homes  at  its  bidding  fall ! 

At  its  fiery  fierce  attack ! 

While  the  fiends  of  the  air  hold  carnival, 

In  the  light  of  its  lurid  track. 

The  joys  that  were  held  so  dear. 

On  the  glow  of  its  breath  expire ; 

While  treasures  and  palaces  disappear. 
Consumed  by  its  vengeful  ire. 

Ely  hence  on  thy  wing  of  flame, 

O bird  ! for  thy  work  is  done ; 

And  the  queens  of  a different  clime  and  name, 
In  their  ruin  and  grief  are  one. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


169 


LI. — EDINBURGH. 

The  metropolis  of  Scotland  is  situated  in  the  county  of 
Mid-Lothian  and  about  two  miles  from  the  Firth  of  Forth. 
Its  length  and  breadth  are  about  two  miles  in  either  di- 
rection. In  panoramic  splendor,  its  site  is  generally  ad- 
mitted to  be  unequaled  in  Europe,  and  the  prospects  from 
the  elevated  points  of  the  city  and  neighborhood  are  of  sin- 
gular grandeur  and  beauty.  To  most  of  the  great  cities  of 
the  kingdom,  the  approaches  lie  through  mean. and  squalid 
suburbs,  by  which  the  stranger  is  gradually  introduced  to 
the  more  striking  streets  and  public  edifices.  The  avenues 
to  Edinburgh,  on  the  contrary,  are  lined  with  the  abodes 
of  a highly  respectable  class,  the  abodes  of  the  poor  being, 
for  the  most  part,  confined  to  the  gigantic  piles  of  building 
in  the  center  of  the  city. 

The  resemblance  between  Athens  and  Edinburgh,  which 
has  been  remarked  by  most  travelers  who  have  visited  both 
capitals,  has  conferred  upon  the  Scottish  metropolis  the 
title  of  “ The  Modern  Athens.”  The  natural  or  artificial 
beauties  of  the  place,  however,  are  not  its  only  attractions, 
for  many  of  its  localities  teemwith  recollections  of  the  past, 
and  are  associated  with  events  of  deep  historical  import- 
ance. 

A view  of  the  city  from  the  southwest  embraces  almost 
all  the  prominent  points  of  interest  in  town.  Directly  in 
front  of  us  is  the  building  known  as  the  Royal  Academy. 
This  institution,  founded  in  1823,  occupies  a conspicuous 
position  at  the  foot  of  the  mound.  Its  architecture  is 
Greek,  having  a portico  surrounded  by  columns,  and  long 
ranges  of  pillars  on  each  flank.  The  interior  accommoda- 
tions consist  of  the  galleries,  of  the  valuable  and  interesting 
museum  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  and  a noble  collec- 


170 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


tion  of  casts  from  the  best  ancient  works  of  sculpture. 
There  is  also  a School  of  Design  in  the  building,  in  which 
instruction  is  given  in  drawing,  with  reference  to  manu- 
factures. Beyond  the  Academy  is  the  monument  to  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  erected  in  1844,  which  is  one  of  the  principal 
attractions  of  the  city.  The  Post-office,  a fine  square  build- 
ing, stands  on  Prince’s  Street,  on  the  site  of  the  old  Theatre 
Eoyal. 

Edinburgh  Castle  stands  at  the  head  of  High  street,  on  a 
precipitous  rocky  eminence,  which  is  the  culmination  of 
the  ridge  of  High  street.  Its  origin  is  unknown,  but  there  is 
no  doubt  that  it  is  the  oldest  part  of  the  city,  and  that  it 
formed  the  nucleus  around  which  Edinburgh  has  arisen. 
It  consists  of  a series  of  irregular  fortifications ; and  although 
before  the  invention  of  gunpowder  it  might  be  considered 
impregnable,  it  is  now  a place  of  more  apparent  than  real 
strength.  Its  elevation  is  383  feet  above  the  sea,  and  from 
various  parts  of  the  fortifications  a magnificent  view  may  be 
obtained. 

The  esplanade,  one  of  the  earliest  promenades  of  the  citi- 
zens, still  forms  a most  agreeable  resort. 

On  the  highest  point  of  the  rock  is  situated  the  ancient 
royal  palace  in  which  are  yet  preserved  the  regalia  of  Scot- 
tish royalty,  consisting  of  a crown,  a sceptre,  and  a sword 
of  state.  High  street  was  long  considered  one  of  the  finest 
in  Europe  ; and,  though  advancing  years  have  swept  away 
many  of  its  relics,  it  nevertheless  has  a few  memorials  of  the 
glory  departed.  Many  quaint  old  houses  still  remain  that 
have  been  the  residence  of  rank,  wealth,  and  fashion  in  the 
time  of  the  Stuarts. 


THE  WORED  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


171 


LIL— EDINBURGH  AFTEK  FLODDEN. 

News  of  battle  ! news  of  battle  ! 

Hark  ! ’tis  ringing  down  the  street ; 

And  the  archways  and  the  pavement 
Bear  the  clang  of  hurrying  feet. 

News  of  battle  ! — who  hath  brought  it  ? 

News  of  triumph  ! — who  should  bring 
Tidings  from  our  noble  army, 

Greetings  from  our  gallant  King  ? 

All  last  night  we  watched  the  beacons 
Blazing  on  the  hills  afar? 

Each  one  bearing,  as  it  kindled, 

Message  of  the  opened  war. 

All  night  long  the  northern  streamers 
Shot  across  the  trembling  sky ; 

Fearful  lights,  that  never  beckon 
Save  when  kings  or  heroes  die. 

News  of  battle  ! who  hath  brought  it  ? 

All  are  thronging  to  the  gate  ; 

" Warder — warder  ! open  quickly  ! 

Man — is  this  a time  to  wait  ? ” 

And  the  heavy  gates  were  opened  ; 

Then  a murmur  long  and  loud, 

And  a cry  of  fear  and  wonder 

Bursts  from  out  the  bending  crowd, 

4 

For  they  see  in  battered  harness 
Only  one  hard-stricken  man. 

And  his  weary  steed  is  wounded, 

And  his  cheek  is  pale  and  wan ; 

Spearless  hangs  a bloody  banner 
In  his  weak  and  drooping  hand — 

What ! Can  that  be  Randolph  Murray, 

Captain  of  the  city  band  ? 


172 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Round  him  crush  the  people,  crying, 
il  Tell  us  all — O,  tell  us  true  ! 

Where  are  they  who  went  to  battle, 

Randolph  Murray,  sworn  to  you  ? 

Where  are  they,  our  brothers — children  ? 

Have  they  met  the  English  foe  ? 

Why  art  thou  alone,  unfollowed  ? 

Is  it  weal  or  is  it  woe  ? ” 

Like  a corpse  the  grisly  warrior 
Looks  from  out  his  helm  of  steel — 

But  nc  word  he  speaks  in  answer — 

Only  with  his  armed  heel 
Chides  his  weary  steed,  and  onward 
Up  the  city  streets  they  ride  ; 

Fathers,  sisters,  mothers,  children, 

Shrieking,  praying  by  his  side. 
u By  the  God  that  made  thee,  Randolph  ! 

Tell  us  what  mischance  hath  come.” 

Then  he  lifts  his  riven  banner, 

And  the  asker’s  voice  is  dumb. 

The  elders  of  the  city 

Have  met  within  their  hall — 

The  men  whom  good  King  James  had  charged 
To  watch  the  tower  and  wall. 

Then  in  came  Randolph  Murray — 

His  step  was  slow  and  weak, 

And  as  he  doffed  his  dinted  helm, 

The  tears  ran  down  his  cheek ; 

They  fell  upon  his  corselet, 

And  on  his  mailed  hand, 

As  he  gazed  around  him  wistfully, 

Leaning  sorely  on  his  brand. 

And  none  who  then  beheld  him 
But  straight  were  smote  with  fear, 

For  a bolder  and  a sterner  man 
Had  never  couched  a spear — 

They  knew  so  sad  a messenger 
Some  ghastly  news  must  bring, 

And  all  of  them  were  fathers, 

And  their  sons  were  with  the  King. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


173 


And  up  then  rose  the  Provost — 

A brave  old  man  was  he. 

Of  ancient  name,  and  knightly  fame. 
And  chivalrous  degree. 

O woful  now  was  the  old  man’s  look, 
And  he  spake  right  heavily  : 

“ Now,  Randolph,  tell  thy  tidings. 
However  sharp  they  be  ! 

Woe  is  written  on  thy  visage, 

Death  is  looking  from  thy  face ; 
Speak  ! though  it  be  of  overthrow— 
It  cannot  be  disgrace  ! ” 

Right  bitter  was  the  agony 

That  wrung  that  soldier  proud ; 
Thrice  did  he  strive  to  answer. 

And  thrice  he  groaned  aloud. 

Then  he  gave  the  riven  banner 
To  the  old  man’s  shaking  hand. 
Saying,  “ That  is  all  I bring  ye 
From  the  bravest  of  the  land  ! 

Ay!  ye  may  look  upon  it — 

It  was  guarded  well  and  long, 

By  your  brothers  and  your  children^ 
By  the  valiant  and  the  strong. 

One  by  one  they  fell  around  it, 

As  the  archers  laid  them  low. 
Grimly  dying,  still  unconquered, 
With  their  faces  to  the  foe. 

u Ay  ! ye  well  may  look  upon  it — 
There  is  more  than  honor  there. 
Else  be  sure  I had  not  brought  it 
From  the  field  of  dark  despair. 
Never  yet  was  royal  banner 
Steeped  in  such  a costly  dye  ; 

It  hath  lain  upon  a bosom 

Where  no  other  shroud  shall  lie. 
Sirs  ! I charge  you  keep  it  holy. 
Keep  it  as  a sacred  thing, 

For  the  stain  ye  see  upon  it 

Was  the  life  blood  of  your  King  !** 


174 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE* 


Woe,  woe  and  lamentation  ! 

What  a piteous  cry  was  there  ! 
Widows,  maidens,  mothers,  children, 
Shrieking,  sobbing  in  despair  ! 

# * * * * 

“O,  the  blackest  day  for  Scotland 
That  she  ever  knew  before  ! 

O our  King  ! the  good,  the  noble, 

Shall  we  see  him  never  more  ? 

Woe  to  us,  and  woe  to  Scotland  ! 

O our  sons,  our  sons  and  men  ! 

Surely  some  have  ’scaped  the  Southron, 
Surely  some  will  come  again  ? ” 

Till  the  oak  that  fell  last  winter 
Shall  uprear  its  shattered  stem — 
Wives  and  mothers  of  Dunedin — 

Ye  may  look  in  vain  for  them  I 


LIIL— OLD  SCOTTISH  CASTLES. 

The  building  of  castles  in  Scotland  dates  back  as  far  as 
the  tenth  century.  Before  the  accession  of  James  VI  to  the 
throne  of  England,  the  situation  of  Scotland  was  such  that 
every  baron’s  house  was  more  or  less  fortified,  according  to 
the  power  or  consequence  of  its  lord,  or  according  to  the 
situation  of  the  castle.  Near  Edinburgh,  where  the  in- 
habitants WTremore  influenced  by  government,  no  more  were 
necessary  than  towers  capable  of  resisting  robbers.  But 
where  more  remote,  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  and 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


175 


feuds  between  rival  clans,  caused  the  erection  of  those  noble 
structures  which  have  endured  to  our  time. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  of  these  is  Stirling  Castle,  in 
the  town  of  Stirling.  The  castle  is  built  on  the  western 
end  of  the  ridge  on  which  the  town  is  situated,  and  is  of 
much  greater  age  than  the  town  itself.  It  is  defended  on 
three  sides  by  steep  rocks,  and  on  the  fourth — or  town  side, 
by  a deep  ditch,  crossed  by  a draw-bridge,  and  two  strong 
walls.  In  the  center  of  the  castle  stands  the  old  Parliament 
House,  built  by  James  III.  Many  interesting  facts  are  con- 
nected with  this  stronghold,  and  its  history  is  really  the  his- 
tory of  Scotland. 

The  ruins  of  Dunnottar  Castle  stand  upon  a lonely  rock. 
The  area  of  the  castle  measures  about  three  acres  of  land, 
and  it  is  separated  from  the  land  by  a deep  chasm,  the  only 
approach  being  up  a steep  path  winding  round  the  body  of 
the  rock.  During  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth,  this 
castle  was  selected  as  the  strongest  place  in  the  kingdom 
for  the  preservation  of  the  crown  jewels.  The  garrison  made 
a vigorous  resistance  to  the  Cromwellian  troops,  but  were 
at  length  forced  to  surrender,  not,  however,  until  the  royal 
treasures  had  been  secretly  conveyed  away,  and  hid  under 
a pulpit  in  KinnefF,  by  the  wife  of  the  minister  at  that 
place. 

During  the  reign  of  Charles  II,  Dunnottar  Castle  was 
used  as  a state  prison  for  confining  Covenanters.  The 
prisoners  were,  without  distinction,  packed  into  a dungeon, 
having  a window  open  to  the  sea,  in  front  of  a huge  preci- 
pice. They  were  allowed  neither  bedding  nor  provisions, 
except  what  they  bought,  and  were  treated  by  their  keeper 
with  the  utmost  rigor.  The  walls  of  the  place,  still  called 
the  Whig's  Vault,  bear  evidence  of  the  severities  inflicted 
on  those  unhappy  persons. 

Drummond  Castle,  a few  miles  south  of  the  town  of 
Crieff,  is  the  original  seat  of  the  noble  family  of  Perth. 
Immediately  in  front  of  the  principal  face  of  the  castle  lies 


176  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

the  flower-garden  of  Drummond,  noted  throughout  Scot- 
land. The  view  from  the  battlements  exhibits  the  renowned 
gardens  immediately  below,  while,  for  nearly  thirty  miles 
around,  there  is  an  unbroken  sweep  of  forest  and  moun- 
tain, over  which  the  dark  gray  turrets  alone  appear  to 
rule. 

Near  where  the  turbulent  Cluny  clatters  down  to  join  the 
Dee,  by  a deep  rocky  ravine,  stands  Braemar  Castle,  a bare 
and  plain-looking  tower,  celebrated  as  having  been  the  resi- 
dence of  Malcolm,  King  of  Scotland.  The  stream  is 
fringed  with  copse,  which  forms  almost  the  only  vegetation 
in  the  neighborhood,  except  the  short  grass  that  covers 
the  Scotch  moors.  The  solid  walls  of  the  castle,  broken  only 
by  small  narrow  windows,  and  topped  with  heavy  turrets, 
made  it  a place  of  great  strength  in  those  days  when  arrows 
and  spears  and  swords,  were  the  chief  weapons  of  attack ; 
but  they  would  stand  only  a few  hours  before  the  cannon  of 
our  day.  All  these  buildings  are  relics  of  another  age  and 
forms  of  warfare,  as  well  as  of  social  and  political  life, 
which  are  now  quite  extinct. 


LIV.— THE  BATTLE  OF  FLODDEN  FIELD. 

Blount  and  Fitz  Eustace  rested  still 
With  Lady  Clare  upon  the  hill ; 

On  which  (for  far  the  day  was  spent) 

The  western  sunbeams  now  were  bent ; 

The  cry  they  heard,  its  meaning  knew. 

Could  plain  their  distant  comrades  view : 

Sadly  to  Blount  did  Eustace  say, 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


177 


“ Unworthy  office  here  to  stay, 

No  hope  of  gilded  spurs  to-day. — 

But  see  ! look  up — on  Flodden  bent 
The  Scottish  foe  has  fired  his  tent.” 

And  sudden  as  he  spoke. 

From  the  sharp  ridges  of  the  hill, 

All  downward  to  the  banks  of  Till, 

Was  wreathed  in  sable  smoke. 

Yolumed  and  vast,  and  rolling  far. 

The  cloud  enveloped  Scotland’s  war. 

As  down  the  hill  they  broke 
Nor  martial  shout,  nor  minstrel  tone, 
Announced  their  march ; their  tread  alono, 
At  times  one  warning  trumpet  blown, 

At  times  a stifled  hum, 

Told  England,  from  his  mountain-throne 
King  James  did  rushing  come. — 

Scarce  could  they  hear  or  see  their  foes, 
Until  at  weapon-point  they  close. — 

They  close  in  clouds  of  smoke  and  dust, 

W ith  sword-sway,  and  with  lance’s  thrust ; 

And  such  a yell  was  there. 

Of  sudden  and  portentious  birth, 

As  if  men  fought  upon  the  earth. 

And  fiends  in  upper  air ; 

O life  and  death  were  in  the  shout, 

Recoil  and  rally,  charge  and  rout,  . 

And  triumph  and  deepair  ; 

Long  looked  the  anxious  squires ; their  eye 
Could  in  the  darkness  nought  descry. 

At  length  the  freshening  western  blast 
Aside  the  shroud  of  battle  cast ; 

And,  first,  the  ridge  of  mingled  spears 
Above  the  brightening  cloud  appears ; 

And  in  the  smoke  the  pennons  flew, 

As  in  the  storm  the  white  sea-mew. 

Then  marked  they,  dashing  broad  and  far. 
The  broken  billows  of  the  war, 

And  plumed  crests  of  chieftains  brave, 
Floating  like  foam  upon  the  wave ; 

But  naught  distinct  they  see. 

Wide  raged  the  battle  on  the  plain, 


178 


THE!  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


Spears  shook,  and  falchions  flashed  amain; 

Fell  England’s  arrow-flight  like  rain ; 

Crests  rose,  and  stoop’d  and  rose  again 
Wild  and  disorderly. 

Far  on  the  left,  unseen  the  while, 

Stanley  broke  Lenox  and  Argyle ; 

Though  there  the  western  mountaineer 
Rushed  with  bare  bosom  on  the  spear, 

And  flung  the  feeble  targe  aside, 

And  with  both  hands  the  broad-sword  plied ; 
’Twas  vain  :-r— But  Fortune,  on  the  right, 

With  fickle  smile  cheered  Scotland’s  fight. 

Then  fell  that  spotless  banner  white, 

The  Howard’s  lion  fell  ; 

Yet  still  Lord  Marmion’s  falcon  flew 
With  wav’ring  flight,  while  fiercer  grew 
Around  the  battle  yell. 

The  border  slogan  rent  the  sky, 

A Home  ! A Gordon  ! was  the  cry : 

Loud  were  the  clanging  blows ; 

Advanced, — forced  back, — now  low,  now  high. 
The  pennon  sunk  and  rose ; 

As  bends  the  bark’s  mast  in  the  gale. 

When  rent  are  rigging,  shrouds  and  sail, 

It  wavered  ’mid  the  foes. 

Ho  longer  Blount  the  view  could  bear: 

“ By  Heaven  and  all  its  saints,  I swear 
I will  not  see  it  lost ! 

Fitz  Eustace,  you,  with  Lady  Clare, 

May  bid  your  beads  and  natter  prayer,-— 

I gallop  to  the  host.” 

And  to  the  fray  he  rode  amain. 

Followed  by  all  the  archer  train. 

The  fiery  youth  with  desperate  charge. 

Made,  for  a space,  an  opening  large, — 

The  rescued  banner  rose, — 

But  darkly  closed  the  war  around, 

Like  pine-tree,  rooted  from  the  ground,  ) 

It  sank  among  the  foes. 

* * * * * * * 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


179 


With  that,  ^straight  up  the  hill  there  rode 
Two  horsemen,  drenched  with  gore, 

And  in  their  arms,  a helpless  load, 

A wounded  knight  they  bore. 

His  hand  still  strained  the  broken  brand,; 

His  arms  were  smear’d  with  blood  and  sand: 
Dragg’d  from  among  the  horses’  feet, 

With  dinted  shield,  and  helmet  beat, 

The  falcon-crest  and  plumage  gone, 

Can  that  be  haughty  Marmion  ! 

When,  doffed  his  casque,  he  felt  free  air, 

Around  ’gan  Marmion  wildly  stare : — 

“ Where’s  Harry  Blount  ? Fitz  Eustace,  where? 
Linger  ye  here,  ye  hearts  of  hare  ! 

Redeem  my  pennon, — charge  again  ! 

Cry — ‘ Marmion  to  the  rescue  ’ ! — vain  ! 

Last  of  my  race,  on  battle-plain 

That  shout  shall  ne’er  be  heard  again  ! — 

Y et  my  last  thought  is  England’s — fly. 

To  Dacre  bear  my  signet-ring : 

Tell  him  his  squadrons  up  to  bring. — ■ 

Fitz  Eustace,  to  Lord  Surrey  hie ; 

Tunstall  lies  dead  upon  the  field, 

His  life-blood  stained  the  spotless  shield : 

Edmund  is  down : — my  life  is  reft ; 

The  Admiral  alone  is  left. 

Let  Stanley  charge  with  spur  of  fire, — 

With  Chester  charge  and  Lancashire, 

Full  upon  Scotland’s  central  host, 

Or  victory  and  England’s  lost. — 

Must  I bid  twice  ? — hence,  varlets  ! fly ! 

Leave  Marmion  here,  alone — to  die !” 

They  parted,  and  alone  he  lay : 

Clare  drew  her  from  the  sight  away, 

Till  pain  rung  forth  a lowly  moan, 

And  half  he  murmurred— ' “ Is  there  none 
Of  ail  my  halls  have  nurs’t, 

Page,  squire,  or  groom,  one  cup  to  bring 
Of  blessed  water  from  the  spring 
To  slake  my  dying  thirst !” 

O,  woman  ! in  our  hours  of  ease, 

Uncertain,  coy,  and  hard  to  pleaso 


180 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


And  variable  as  the  shade 

By  the  light  quivering  aspen  made ; 

When  pain  and  anguish  wring  the  brow, 

A ministering  angel  thou  ! 

Scarce  were  the  piteous  accents  said, 

When,  with  the  Baron’s  casque,  the  maid 
To  the  nigh  streamlet  ran : 

Forgot  were  hatred,  wrongs,  and  fears ; 

The  plaintive  voice  alone  she  hears, 

Sees  but  the  dying  man. 

She  fill’d  the  helm,  and  back  she  hied. 

And  with  surprise  and  joy  espied 
A monk  supporting  Marmion’s  head ; 

A pious  man  whom  duty  brought 
To  dubious  verge  of  battle  fought, 

To  shrive  the  dying,  bless  the  dead. 

The  war,  that  for  a spaee  did  fail, 

Now,  trebly  thundering,  swell’ d the  galo, 

And — Stanley  ! was  the  cry ; — 

A light  on  Marmion’s  visage  spread, 

And  fired  his  glazing  eye : 

With  dying  hand,  above  his  head. 

He  shook  the  fragment  of  his  blade, 

And  shouted,  “ Victory  ! — 

Charge,  Chester,  charge  ! On,  Stanley,  on  {” 
Were  the  last  words  of  Marmion. 

By  this,  though  deep  the  evening  fell, 

Still  rose  the  battle’s  deadly  swell, 

For  still  the  Scots  around  their  king. 
Unbroken,  fought  in  desperate  ring. 

The  English  shafts  in  volleys  hail’d, 

In  headlong  charge  their  horse  assail’d, 
Front,  flank,  and  rear,  the  squadrons  sweep, 
To  break  the  Scottish  circle  deep, 

That  fought  around  their  king. 

But  yet,  though  thick  the  shafts  as  snow, 
Though  charging  knights  like  whirlwinds  go, 
Though  billmen  ply  the  ghastly  blow, 
Unbroken  was  the  ring ; 

The  stubborn  spearmen  still  made  good 
Their  dark  impenetrable  w~ood, 

Each  stepping  where  his  comrade  stood, 

The  instant  that  he  fell 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE* 


181 


No  thought  was  there  of  dastard  flight ; 

Linked  in  the  serried  phalanx  tight. 

Groom  fought  like  noble,  squire  like  knight 
As  fearlessly  and  well ; 

Till  utter  darkness  closed  her  wing 
O’er  their  thin  host  and  wounded  king, 

Then  skillful  Surrey’s  sage  commands 
Led  back  from  strife  his  shattered  bands; 

And  from  the  charge  they  drew, 

As  mountain- waves,  from  wasted  lands. 

Sweep  back  to  ocean  blue. 

Then  did  their  loss  his  foeman  know ; 

Their  king,  their  lords,  their  mightiest,  low, 
They  melted  from  the  field  as  snow, 

When  streams  are  swoln,  and  south  winds  blow 
Dissolve  in  silent  dew. 

Tweed’s  echoes  heard  the  ceaseless  plash. 

While  many  a broken  band, 

Disorder’d,  through  her  currents  dash. 

To  gain  the  Scottish  land ; 

To  town  and  tower,  to  down  and  dale, 

To  tell  red  Fiodden’s  dismal  tale 
And  raise  the  universal  wail. 

Tradition,  legend,  tune  and  song, 

Shall  many  an  age  that  wail  prolong ; 

Still  from  the  sire  the  son  shall  hear 
Of  the  stern  strife  and  carnage  drear 
Of  Fiodden’s  fatal  field, 

Where  shivered  was  fair  Scotland’s  spear, 

And  broken  was  her  shield. 


182 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


LV.—CON  ST  ANTING  PLE, 

The  capital  of  the  Turkish  empire  is  situated  on  a tri- 
angular promontory,  of  which  the  base  is  toward,  and  is 
bounded  by,  the  sea  of  Marmora  on  the  southeastern,  and 
the  harbor  or  Golden  Horn  on  the  northern  side.  The  city 
stands  upon  seven  hills  or  risings,  and  wras  defended,  in 
early  times,  on  the  side  of  the  land,  by  a wall  from  fourteen 
to  twenty  feet  high,  beyond  which  was  a ditch  twenty-five 
feet  broad.  There  are  extensive  suburbs,  the  largest  of  which 
is  Scutari,  situated  on  the  other  side  of  the  Bosphorus. 
Another  one,  Galata,  on  the  northern  side  of  the  harbor, 
has  gradually  become  the  principal  seat  of  mercantile 
enterprise. 

The  gentle  undulations  on  which  the  town  stands,  and 
the  great  number  of  whitewashed  minarets,  give  a magni- 
ficent appearance  to  Constantinople,  as  seen  from  the  water ; 
and  the  view  is  particularly  grand  from  the  opening  of  the 
Bosphorus  and  harbor ; but  the  internal  by  no  means  cor- 
responds with  the  external  appearance.  The  streets  are 
most  irregular,  and  badly  paved,  and  the  houses  are  wretch- 
edly built  of  wood.  There  are  neither  names  to  the  one  nor 
numbers  to  the  other.  Of  late  years  more  attention  has 
been  paid  to  the  keeping  of  the  streets.  The  vulture,  which 
once  was  common,  has  disappeared,  and  the  number  of 
kites  and  dogs,  which  live  on  the  offal,  is  rapidly  diminish- 
ing; yet,  even  now,  few  towns  can  compete  with  this  in 
filthiness  and  defective  draining.  Conflagrations  are  com- 
mon, and  said,  indeed,  to  be  frequently  willful. 

In  the  absence  of  facilities  for  street  travel,  there  are  a 
vast  number  of  caiques,  or  small  boats,  which  ply,  for 
moderate  fares,  on  the  harbor  and  Bosphorus. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


183 


Notwithstanding  the  insignificance  of  much  of  Con- 
stantinople, there  are  a few  buildings  which  deserve  notice 
from  the  beauty  of  their  architecture.  The  mosque  of  St. 
Sophia  is  the  most  celebrated  of  that  class  of  structures  in 
the  world,  as  it  is  one  of  the  finest.  Originally  a Christian 
church,  it  was  converted  into  a Mohammedan  place  of  wor- 
ship some  time  after  its  erection.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a 
Greek  cross,  269  feet  in  length  by  143  in  breath,  and  sur- 
mounted by  a flattened  dome  180  feet  above  the  ground, 
besides  several  minor  cupolas,  and  four  minarets  added  to  it 
by  the  Turks.  In  its  interior  are  numerous  large  columns, 
a floor  of  variegated  marble,  and  some  magnificent  bronze 
gates,  but  most  of  the  ancient  Byzantine  paintings  and 
decorations  hare  been  hidden  by  Turkish  inscriptions,  and 
the  general  effect  of  the  building  is  injured  by  the  presence 
of  a multitude  of  lamps,  globes,  and  other  ornaments,  de- 
pending from  the  dome.  Some  of  the  pillars  of  the  dome 
are  of  green  jasper,  and  are  reported  to  have  been  the  sup- 
ports of  the  ancient  temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  mosque  is  an  open  space 
called  the  At-Meidan  (horse  place),  about  500  feet  in  length 
and  300  feet  in  breadth.  This  was  the  Hippodrome,  in 
which  the  old  game  of  throwing  the  jereed  was  practiced 
by  the  Turks.  Along  the  center  line  of  it  are  placed  an 
Egyptian  obelisk,  the  remains  of  a small  column  composed 
of  three  twisted  serpents  in  bronze,  and  a tall  obelisk,  much 
decayed. 

The  mosque  of  Soleyman  the  Magnificent,  is  another  of 
the  city’s  celebrities.  This  is  a large  structure,  in  the 
general  form  of  a square,  from  which  rise  a succession  of 
domes,  minarets,  and  towers,  of  extreme  beauty.  The 
mosque  is  a masterpiece  of  Saracenic  architecture. 

The  Seraglio,  forming  a distinct  quarter  of  the  town,  is 
seldom  visited  by  the  Sultan,  who  stays  in  his  private 
palace  most  of  the  time.  It  was  formerly  closed  to  the 
public,  and  the  mystery  which  surrounded  it  gave  rise  to 


184 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


the  most  fabulous  accounts  of  the  splendor  and  magnifi- 
cence of  this  imperial  residence,  all  of  which  have  vanished 
since  it  has  been  thrown  open  to  visitors,  who  could  not 
fail  to  see  that  the  Sultan’s  palace  stands  far  below  the 
residences  of  other  European  monarchs  in  sumptuousness. 
The  new  palace,  however,  at  Dobna  Baghtshe,  where  the 
Sultan  passes  his  time  at  present,  is  of  great  magnificence, 
and  was  erected  at  an  enormous  cost.  The  grand  gateway 
is  a beautiful  piece  of  architecture,  with  marble  pillars 
and  the  most  exquisite  and  ornate  decorations. 


LYL— CAIRO. 


This  city,  the  capital  of  Egypt,  was  founded  in  969  A.  D. 
The  walls  of  Cairo,  built  at  first  of  brick,  were  afterwards 
laid  of  stone  by  the  celebrated  Saladin.  One  of  the  chief 
objects  of  interest  in  the  city  is  the  Citadel,  which  contains 
several  things  worthy  of  a visit,  among  which  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Pasha’s  Palace,  the  new  Mosque,  built  by  Mo- 
hammed Ali,  and  the  Arsenal.  The  palace  contains  some 
handsome  rooms,  and  the  view  from  it  is  very  fine.  The 
Mosque  consists  of  an  open  square,  surrounded  by  single 
rows  of  columns.  The  columns  have  a fancy  capital,  sup- 
porting round  arches,  and  the  whole,  with  the  exception  of 
the  outer  walls,  is  of  Oriental  alabaster.  But  it  excites  ad- 
miration for  the  materials,  rather  than  for  the  style  of  its 
architecture. 

From  the  platform  is  a grand  and  commanding  view  of 
the  city  and  the  surrounding  country,  taking  in  the  arsenal 
immediately  below,  the  fine  mosque  of  Sultan  Hassan,  just 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


185 


outside  the  gates  of  the  citadel,  the  numerous  minarets  of 
Cairo,  and,  in  the  distance,  the  Pyramids.  Parts  only  of  the 
old  citadel  walls  now  remain,  the  others  haying  been  re- 
placed by  bastions  and  curtains  of  European  construction. 
On  the  western  wall  of  the  citadel  is  an  eagle  in  high  relief, 
supposed  to  be  an  emblem  or  banner  of  Karakoosch,  the 
minister  of  Saladin ; and  the  credulous  believe  that  it  for- 
merly uttered  a cry  when  any  calamity  was  about  to  hap- 
pen to  the  city. 

The  narrowness  of  the  streets  of  Cairo,  and  their  great 
irregularity,  strike  a European  strangely;  but  their  Ori- 
ental character  fully  compensates  for  this  objection,  and  of 
all  Eastern  towns,  none  is  so'  interesting  in  this  respect  as 
the  Egyptian  capital.  Nor  is  this  character  confined  to  the 
bazaars,  to  the  mosques,  or  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  exte- 
rior of  the  houses ; the  interiors  are  of  the  same  original 
style,  and  no  one  can  visit  the  harems  and  courts  of  the 
private  dwellings  without  recalling  the  impressions  he  re- 
ceived on  reading  the  Arabian  Nights.  The  picturesque 
style  of  the  courts,  the  inlaid  marble,  the  open  fonts,  the 
elaborate  fretwork  of  the  projecting  windows,  with  their 
panes  of  stained  glass,  have  a pleasing  effect,  and  remind 
us  of  the  descriptions  of  old  Saracenic  mansions. 

Cairo  is  said  to  contain  about  400  mosques.  Many  of 
them  are  in  ruins,  but  the  great  number  of  those  that  are 
still  in  repair,  and  used  for  their  daily  prayers,  must  be  ap- 
parent to  any  one  who  passes  through  the  streets,  or  sees 
their  numerous  minarets  from  without.  The  finest  mosque 
in  Cairo  is  the  mosque  of  the  Sultan  Hassan.  Its  beauti- 
fully ornamented  porch,  the  rich  cornice  of  its  towering 
walls,  its  minarets,  and  the  arches  of  its  spacious  court, 
must  delight  every  lover  of  architecture.  And  so  impressed 
are  the  Cairenes  with  its  superiority,  that  they  believe  the 
king  ordered  the  hand  of  the  architect  to  be  cut  off,  in 
order  to  prevent  his  building  any  other  that  should  vie  with 


186 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


it.  The  blocks  used  in  the  erection  of  this  noble  edifice 
were  brought  from  the  Pyramids. 

Some  of  the  ornamentations  of  the  ancient  buildings  are 
extremely  elaborate,  and  as  fine  a piece  of  work  as  is  to  be 
found  in  Cairo,  is  a latticed  window  on  Mushreebab,  a di- 
lapidated mosque.  Part  of  the  lattice  itself  has  fallen  to 
decay ; but  there  is  left  enough  to  show  the  delicacy  and 
beauty  of  its  architecture. 


LVII.— EGYPT  AND  THE  NILE. 

The  general  appearance  of  Egypt  is  remarkably  uniform. 
The  Delta  is  a plain  richly  cultivated,  and  varied  alone  by 
the  lofty  dark-brown  mounds  of  ancient  cities,  and  the 
villages  in  groves  of  palm-trees,  standing  on  mounds,  often 
if  not  always  ancient.  In  Upper  Egypt  the  valley  is  in  as 
rich  a state  of  cultivation,  but  very  narrow  and  bounded  by 
mountains  of  no  great  height,  which  hem  it  in  a confined 
space.  They  constitute  the  edge  of  the  desert  on  either 
side  of  the  valley,  which  appears  as  though  it  had  been  cut 
through  a rocky  table-land,  for  they  rarely  take  the  form  of 
peaks.  The  features  of  the  country,  therefore,  vary  little, 
nor  is  there  great  difference  in  the  color.  The  bright  green 
of  the  fields,  however,  the  reddish  brown  color  of  the  rivers, 
the  tints  of  the  bare  yellow  rocks,  and  the  deep  blue  of  the 
sky,  always  form  a pleasant  view,  and  often  one  of  great 
beauty. 

The  climate  of  Egypt,  being  remarkably  equable,  is 
healthy  to  those  who  can  bear  great  heat,  and  who  avoid  the 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


187 


unwholesome  tracts  of  the  country.  The  atmosphere  is  dry 
and  clear,  except  on  the  sea-coast;  and  even  the  dampness, 
which  is  the  inevitable  consequence  of  the  inundations  of 
the  river,  is  scarcely  felt,  except  in  rendering  the  heat  more 
oppressive.  On  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  rain  is  fre- 
quent, but  in  other  parts  of  Egypt  very  unusual.  At  Cairo 
there  is  generally  one  heavy  storm  in  winter,  and  a shower 
or  two  besides,  white  at  Thebes  a storm  occurs  but  once  in 
about  four  years,  and  light  rain  almost  as  rarely. 

The  present  population  of  Egypt  is  between  two  and 
three  millions,  and  of  these  seven-eighths  are  Moham- 
medans. The  men  and  women  are  generally  well-propor- 
tioned. In  Cairo  and  the  northern  provinces,  those  who 
have  not  been  much  exposed  to  the  sun  have  a yellowish 
but  very  clear  complexion ; the  rest  are  of  considerably 
darker  and  coarser  hue.  The  principal  feature  of  dress 
with  the  men  is  a long  vest  of  silk,  called  kaftan , which 
has  hanging  sleeves  and  reaches  below  the  ankles.  In  going 
abroad  the  ladies  always  wear  a veil  which  entirely  con- 
ceals the  features,  except  the  eyes;  it  is  along  and  narrow 
piece  of  thick  white  muslin,  reaching  a little  below  the 
knees. 

The  chief  characteristic  of  Egyptian  scenery  is  the  Nile. 
This  river  is  all  that  makes  Egypt.  Its  waters  fertilized  the 
desert  through  which  it  passes,  and  made  it  fit  for  habita- 
tion. It  is  the  chief  channel  of  communication  in  the 
country.  Without  it,  Egypt  could  not  exist  as  an  inhabited 
land.  The  scenery  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile  is  seldom 
beautiful.  There  is  little  variety  of  landscape,  and,  what 
there  is,  is  interesting  mostly  on  account  of  some  clustering 
associations. 

Near  the  first  cataract  lies  the  town  of  Assonan,  the 
ancient  Syene.  It  presents  few  ruins  of  the  ancient  city, 
except  some  granite  columns  of  a late  date  and  a small 
temple.  This  was  the  place  to  which  the  poet  Juvenal  was 
banished.  The  first  cataract  is  merely  a rapid,  formed  by 


188 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


the  rash  of  water  through  a mass  of  rocks,  and  its  highest 
fail  does  not  exceed  five  or  six  feet.  The  two  last  or  southern- 
most falls  are  the  greatest,  but  they  are  passable  at  all  times 
of  the  year.  The  boats  are  towed  up  by  ropes,  and  there  is 
little  fear  of  accidents. 

The  island  of  Philse  stands  a short  distance  above  the 
cataract,  and  is  no  less  interesting  from  the  subjects  con- 
tained in  its  sacred  buildings  than  for  the  general  effect  of 
the  ruins.  The  principal  building  is  the  temple  of  Isis, 
which  is  decorated  with  fine  sculptures  and  curious  in- 
scriptions. 

At  Syeopolis  there  are  several  pits  cut  in  the  rock,  the 
burial  places  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  old  city.  Though 
not  containing  a great  profusion  of  sculpture,  they  are  of 
considerable  interest  from  their  antiquity,  and  some  have 
the  names  of  very  old  kings.  The  view  over  the  town  and 
the  green  plains  in  the  spring  is  very  beautiful  from  their 
tombs. 


LVIIL— ANCIENT  RELIGIOUS  RUXUS. 

Scattered  over  the  world’s  surface  are  fragments  and 
relics  of  edifices  that  have  existed  long  after  the  sentiment 
that  gave  them  birth  has  passed  out  of  sight  and  memory. 
Among  these  none  are  more  interesting  than  the  remains 
of  temples,  altars,  and  religious  structures,  generally.  From 
these  we  are  able  to  form  ideas  not  only  of  the  religious 
customs  and  observances  of  the  people  who  erected  them, 
but  also  of  the  people  themselves. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


189 


The  celebrated  ruins  of  Stonehenge,  on  Salisbury  Plain, 
England,  are  a fine  example  of  this  class  of  structures. 
They  consist  simply  of  enormous  stones  set  in  an  upright 
and  horizontal  position.  When  seen  from  a distance,  their 
appearance  is  somewhat  insignificant,  on  account  of  their 
position  on  a wide  unbroken  plain.  On  a near  approach, 
however,  their  magnitude  can  be  duly  appreciated.  Stone- 
henge is  enclosed  by  a double  mound  and  ditch,  circular  in 
form,  the  whole  1009  feet  in  circumference.  The  stones, 
which  are  arranged  in  order,  have  a length  of  from  15  to  20 
feet,  and  in  the  center  is  a large  slab  of  coarse  blue  marble, 
16  feet  long  and  4 broad,  supposed  to  have  been  a part  of 
the  altar.  It  seems  most  likely  that  Stonehenge  was  erected 
by  the  ancient  Britons  for  solemn  religious  rites;  and,  from 
the  art  displayed  in  their  construction,  it  could  not  have 
been  much  earlier  than  the  time  of  the  Roman  conquest. 

The  island  of  Java,  belonging  to  the  system  geographically 
called  Malaysia,  is  situated  near  the  south-eastern  coast  of 
Asia.  It  is  a country  but  little  known,  though  it  is  of 
great  importance  commercially  to  the  world.  The  present 
religion  of  the  people  is  Mohammedan,  that  faith  having 
been  established  by  their  Arab  conquerors  in  the  15th  cen- 
tury. Buddhism  and  Brahminism  were  the  ancient  religions 
of  the  Javanese,  and  there  are  yet  many  ruins  of  their  old 
temples  standing  throughout  the  country.  Their  style  of 
architecture  is  much  like  the  Chinese  and  Japanese,  having, 
in  fact,  been  modeled  from  them,  though  they  are  perhaps 
a little  less  elaborate. 

In  the  temples  and  pagodas  of  India  and  China  are  found 
the  clearest  traces  of  antiquity  in  architecture.  The  most 
common  Hindoo  pagoda  of  the  present  day  is  composed  of 
a rectangular  mass,  surmounted  by  a graduated  truncated 
pyramid.  That- this  species  of  structure  is  of  very  con- 
siderable antiquity,  may  be  concluded  from  the  fact  that 
everything  in  its  composition  and  arrangement  is  deter- 
mined by  immutable  precepts  of  a religious  nature.  __  The 


190 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Chinese  pagodas  are  often  rich  in  ornamentation,  both 
externally  and  internally,  though  the  effect  is  generally 
moved  by  their  very  incongruity  of  structure.  Many 
pogodas  are  found  in  China  which  are  asserted  by  the 
inhabitants  to  be  a thousand  years  old,  but  their  habit  of 
exaggerating  everything  renders  their  word  not  very  trust- 
worthy. 


LIX.—THE  RAVAGES  OF  TIME. 

I sa<v  a vale — sequestered — green. 

From  which  a crystal  fount  was  welling ; 

Its  silv’ry  tide,  whose  rippling  sheen, 

Over  the  tufted  marge  was  swelling.  . 

And  onward,  o’er  its  verdant  bed, 

Set  noiseless — one  might  mark  it  stealing, 

Now  “ hiding  its  diminished  head,” 

And  now  again  its  course  revealing. 

Time  sped.  That  brooklet  onward  flowed 
To  mingle  with  the  mighty  ocean. 

And  all  the  charms  its  source  bestowed. 
Were  lost  amid  the  waves*  commotion. 

I saw  upon  Nile’s  sacred  banks. 

The  mighty  pyramids,  upr earing 

Their  cloud- cap  t heads;  grim,  aged  ranks 
Of  sphinxes,  ’midst  the  tombs  appearing. 

And  the  Memnonium,  too,  was  there, — 
Gigantic — musical — and  solemn ; 

While,  high  in  the  transparent  a'r, 

Old  Pompey  raised  his  wond’rous  column. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


191 


I sought  that  classic  scene  again, — 

How  little  of  its  beauty  lingers  ! 

For  Memnon  lies  upon  the  plain, 

O’erthrown  by  Time’s  decaying  fingers  ! 

And  where  is  Carthage  ? where  is  Rome, 
With  all  the  glories  which  it  cherished? 
Where  sumptuous  Athens?  Balbec’s  dome? 
Time  touched  them — and  they  perished  I 


LX.— PICTURESQUE  SCENES  IN  THE  BRITISH 
ISLES. 

♦ 

There  are  many  parts  of  Great  Britain  which  possess  ex- 
ceeding beauty  of  scenery ; this  being  further  enhanced  by 
the  great  associations  that  crowd  almost  every  corner  of  the 
United  Kingdom.  Who  has  not  heard  of  the  charming 
Lakes  of  Killarney  ? Ireland  has  nothing  more  beautiful 
to  offer  to  the  tourist  than  these  sheets  of  water  embosomed 
in  the  hills.  The  mountains  seem  to  have  their  feet  in  the 
deep  waters ; they  rise  sheer  up  on  every  side.  Gray  islands, 
spring  abruptly  from  the  bosom  of  the  deep.  Then,  again, 
there  are  island  rocks  surmounted  with  the  greenest  of  trees, 
and  on  some  the  arbutus  attains  a size  that  is  altogether 
wondrous.  Although  the  Lakes  of  Killarney  are  three 
in  number,  yet  they  are  all  contained  in  one  mountain  hol- 
low ; and  certainly  there  is  not,  within  the  same  compass, 
anything  in  England  presenting  the  same  concentration  of 
charm. 

The  Highland  lakes  have  attained  a just  celebrity  for 
beauty  and  picturesqueness  of  situation.  On  the  road  from 


192 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Callander  to  the  Trossachs  lies  the  modest  little  Loch 
Achray,  which  presents  a beautiful  appearance  with  Ben 
Venue  rising  in  the  back-ground.  Few  mountains  can 
boast  of  an  outline  so  nobly  graduated,  or  combining  such 
rich  and  singular  beauty  with  alpine  dignity,  as  Ben  Venue. 
In  the  neighborhood  were  laid  many  scenes  of  Scott’s  novels 
and  border  poetry  which  have  been  indelibly  impressed  on 
the  minds  of  all  literary  readers. 

Another  interesting  point  in  Scotland  is  Dumbarton  Cas- 
tle, situated  on  a rock  of  the  same  name,  rising  to  a height 
of  560  feet,  measuring  a mile  in  circumference,  and  termin- 
ating in  two  points,  one  a little  higher  than  the  other. 
Dumbarton  was  the  place  of  confinement  of  the  patriot 
Wallace.  The  view  from  the  castle  over  the  Biver  Clyde  is 
of  singular  attractiveness. 

The  Vale  of  Avoca,  in  Ireland,  celebrated  in  verse  by  the 
poet  Moore,  comprises  one  of  the  finest  touches  of  land- 
scape to  be  anywhere  found.  The  undulating  hills  around, 
the  quiet  stream,  and  the  gently  sloping  banks  lined  with 
the  verdure  peculiar  to  the  “Emerald  Isle,”  all  combine  to 
produce  the  most  enchanting  effects  on  the  mind  of  the 
beholder. 

One  of  the  oldest  specimens  of  British  architecture  is 
Glastonbury  Abbey,  of  which  but  the  ruins  are  now  left. 
This  was  a most  magnificent  structure,  once  covering  sixty 
acres  of  ground,  but  its  materials  were  taken  by  the  inhabi- 
tants for  their  dwellings,  and  the  only  remnants  of  the  old 
abbey  are  the  beautiful  ruins  of  the  church,  with  St.  Joseph’s 
Chapel  and  the  Abbot’s  Kitchen.  The  foundation  of  the 
abbey  occurred  in  505,  and  was  on  the  site  of  a British 
church,  said  to  owe  its  origin  to  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  whose 
miraculous  thorn,  which  constantly  blossomed  on  Christmas 
day,  together  with  the  shrine  of  St.  Dunstan,  used  to  at- 
tract multitudes  of  devotees  to  Glastonbury  in  the  middle 
ages.  Here  is  also  said  to  be  the  burial  place  of  the  re- 
nowned King  Arthur,  of  the  Bound  Table. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


193 


The  scenery  of  the  Malvern  Hills,  in  the  west  of  England, 
is  of  surpassing  beauty  in  the  summer  months,  when  the 
verdure  is  most  luxuriant  and  the  weather  at  its  mildest. 
The  town  of  Malyern  is  a great  resort  for  people  of  fashion 
at  this  season,  on  account  of  a celebrated  medicinal  spring 
there  located. 

The  river  Thames,  though  not  the  longest,  has  been 
justly  called  the  King  of  all  the  English  rivers,  superior  to 
most  in  beauty,  and  to  all  in  importance.  The  whole 
length  of  the  river  is  215  miles,  and  it  flows  south-easterly 
from  its  source  in  the  Cotswold  Hills.  As  it  rolls  on,  the 
country  becomes  more  rich  and  beautiful,  while  its  volume 
is  ever  increased  by  affluents  on  either  side.  The  Thames 
is  of  vast  importance  as  a means  of  communication ; for 
though,  with  the  exception  of  the  metropolis,  it  passes  no 
manufacturing  or  commercial  cities,  it  traverses  some  of 
the  richest  agricultural  districts  in  the  country. 

Balmoral  Castle,  in  Scotland,  is  the  summer  residence  of 
Queen  Victoria.  As  the  old  castle  did  not  afford  sufficient 
accommodation  for  the  royal  family,  Prince  Albert  erected 
the  present  new  and  commodious  building  at  his  own  ex- 
pense. The  new  castle  stands  on  the  level  of  the  old  resi- 
dence, but  nearer  the  margin  of  the  river  Dee,  which  here, 
in  a semicircle,  sweeps  round  the  base  of  the  neighboring, 
mountain  range,  and  forms  a large  peninsula,  containing 
the  castle.  The  building  is  of  Scottish  baronial  style  of 
architecture,  modified  in  some  of  its  details  so  as  to  com- 
bine the  more  bold  and  prominent  features  of  the  ancient 
stronghold  with  the  more  domestic  character  of  modern 
civilization. 

A remarkable  headland  projects  into  the  Atlantic  at  the 
western  extremity  of  Cornwall,  England,  which  has  re- 
ceived the  very  appropriate  name  of  Land’s  End.  It  is 
formed  of  granite  cliffs,  whose  summits  are  sixty  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  and  is  the  most  western  point  of  Great 
Britain.  The  scenery  in  the  neighborhood  is  wild  and 
9 


194 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


lonely,  no  sound  being  heard  saye  the  breaking  of  the 
waves  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs.  The  nearest  town  of  any 
size  is  Penzance,  and  the  chief  interest  there  is  in  the 
mining  operations  for  which  Cornwall  is  widely  noted. 
About  one  mile  distant  from  the  promontory  are  the  dan- 
gerous rocks  called  the  Longships,  on  which  has  been 
erected  a lighthouse  with  fixed  lights,  eighty-eight  feet 
above  high  water. 

On  a peninsula  in  the  vicinity  of  Land’s  End  is  one  of 
those  natural  curiosities  called  “ Logging,”  or  “ Logan 
Stones.”  It  is  a gigantic  mass  of  stone,  so  poised  on  a 
fulcrum,  that  it  can  be  made  to  rock  by  the  comparatively 
insignificant  force  of  a man’s  strength.  The  country  all 
around  is  strewn  with  huge  blocks  and  masses  of  granite, 
worn  and  colored  by  the  action  of  water. 

On  the  northern  coast  of  Ireland  is  a vast  collection  of 
basaltic  rocks,  shaped  into  regular  form  and  features  by 
volcanic  force.  These  have  received  the  name  of  the 
“ Giant’s  Causeway,”  and  their  general  formation  we  have 
elsewhere  described  under  that  denomination.  The  sum- 
mit of  the  Causeway  is  the  narrowest  part,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  affords  the  grandest  formations  of  the  whole. 
Here  the  regularity  is  less  distinct,  and  broken,  jagged 
masses  lie  everywhere  piled  up  in  greatest  confusion.  Oc- 
casionally, a solitary  column  will  be  seen  extendiug  upward 
to  a great  height,  and  seemingly  ready  to  topple  over  at  the 
least  provocation.  To  these  are  given  the  name  of  “ Chim- 
neys,” and  they  are  not  the  least  among  the  curiosities  of 
this  remarkable  region. 

Near  the  Causeway,  where  the  cliffs  bulge  boldly  out  in 
the  sea,  may  be  seen  one  of  those  fanciful  resemblances 
to  the  human  countenance  which  have  been  found  almost 
everywhere  throughout  the  globe.  It  is  the  shape  of  an 
enormous  head,  of  which  the  features  are  distinctly  marked 
on  the  face  of  the  cliff,  and  has,  not  inaptly,  been  called 
“ The  Giant’s  Head.” 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


195 


LXI.— HELYELLYN. 

I climbed  the  dark  brow  of  the  mighty  Helvellyn ; 

Lakes  and  mountains  beneath  me  g&amed  misty  and  wide ; 
All  was  still,  save  by  fits,  when  the  eagle  was  yelling, 

And,  starting  around  me,  the  echoes  replied ; 

On  the  right,  Striden-edge  round  the  Red-tarn  was  bending, 
And  Catchedicam  its  left  yerge  was  defending, 

One  huge,  nameless  rock  in  the  front  was  ascending, 

When  I marked  the  sad  spot  where  the  wanderer  had  died. 

Dark  green  was  that  spot  ’mid  the  brown  mountain  heather, 
Where  the  pilgrim  of  nature  lay  stretched  in  decay, 

Like  the  corpse  of  an  outcast  abandoned  to  weather, 

Till  the  mountain  winds  wasted  the  tenantless  clay. 

Nor  yet  quite  deserted,  though  lonely  extended, 

Eor,  faithful  in  death,  his  mute  favorite  attended. 

The  much-loved  remains  of  her  master  defended, 

And  chased  the  liill-fox  and  the  raven  away. 

How  long  didst  thou  think  that  his  silence  was  slumber  ? 

When  the  wind  waved  his  garment,  how  oft  didst  thou  start  ? 
How  many  long  days  and  long  weeks  didst  thou  number, 

Ere  he  faded  before  thee,  the  friend  of  thy  heart? 

And,  oh,  was  it  meet  that, — no  requiem  read  o’er  him. 

No  mother  to  weep,  and  no  friend  to  deplore  him, 

And  thou,  little  guardian,  alone  stretched  before  him, — 
Unhonored  the  pilgrim  from  life  should  depart  ? 

When  a prince  to  the  fate  of  the  peasant  has  yielded. 

The  tapestry  waves  dark  round  the  dim-lighted  hall ; 

With  scutcheons  of  silver  the  coffin  is  shielded, 

A nd  pages  stand  mute  by  the  canopied  pall : 

Through  the  courts,  at  deep  midnight,  the  torches  are  gleaming; 
In  the  proudly  arched  chapel  the  banners  are  beaming ; 

Ear  adown  the  long  aisle  sacred  music  is  streaming, 

Lamenting  a chief  of  the  people  should  fall. 


196 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


But  meeter  for  thee,  gentle  lover  of  nature, 

To  lay  down  thy  head  like  the  meek  mountain  lamb 
When,  ’wildered,  he  drops  from  some  cliff  huge  in  stature, 
And  draws  his  last  sob  by  the  side  of  his  dam ; 

And  more  stately  thy  couch,  by  this  desert  lake  lying, 
Thy  obsequies  sung  by  the  gray  plover  flying, 

With  one  faithful  friend  but  to  witness  thy  dying, 

In  the  arms  of  Helvellyn  and  Catchedicam. 


LXII. — CONVENTS,  MONASTERIES  AND  MOSQUES. 

The  convent  or  monastery  is  a building,  or  group  of 
buildings,  for  the  habitation  of  monks  or  nuns.  These 
structures,  which  are  numbered  by  thousands,  first  arose  in 
connection  with  hermit  life  in  the  Eastern  wilderness. 
Many  of  them,  which  once  crowned  the  mountains  or  dotted 
the  Egyptian  and  Arabian  deserts,  or  crowded  the  populous 
districts  of  Europe,  are  fallen  to  decay.  But,  whether  still 
occupied  or  in  ruin,  they  are  objects  of  interest  and  deserve 
mention. 

Some  of  the  most  famous,  like  those  of  St.  Gall,  Cluny, 
and  Clairvaux,  were  almost  villages  in  themselves ; others 
were  confined  to  a single  imposing  building.  Some,  like 
the  noted  convent  of  Sinai,  are  on  desolate  mountains,  and 
have  preserved  in  their  seclusion  invaluable  ancient  copies 
of  the  Scriptures  and  other  books.  These  structures  are 
under  the  control  of  different  monastic  orders,  and  vary 
widely  in  discipline,  influence,  and  sanctity. 

The  remarkable  order  of  Carthusians  have  a convent  at 
the  desert  of  Chartreuse,  near  Grenoble,  in  France,  in  a ro- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


197 


mantic  situation,  surrounded  by  the  wildest  scenery  of 
rocks  and  forests.  Its  church  is  simple  and  elegant ; and 
the  buildings  are  good  representatives  of  convent  architec- 
ture. The  Grand  Cloister  forms  an  oblong  square,  lighted 
by  one  hundred  and  thirty  windows.  The  oldest  part, 
which  was  built  in  the  13th  century,  has  sixty  cells  opening 
on  two  long  corridors.  These  monks  are  remarkable  for 
their  austere  rules.  They  may  not  quit  their  cells,  except 
to  go  to  church,  nor  speak  to  any  person,  without  leave  of 
their  Superior.  Their  beds  are  of  straw,  and  their  cloth- 
ing is  of  the  coarsest  texture.  At  eating,  they  are  enjoined 
to  keep  their  eyes  on  the  dish,  their  hands  on  the  table, 
their  attention  on  the  reader,  and  their  hearts  fixed  on  God. 
They  are  a branch  of  the  great  order  of  the  Benedictines. 

The  single  province  of  Granada,  with  its  three  hundred 
and  eighteen  cities  and  villages,  contains  over  two  hundred 
convents.  These  religious  houses  are  romantically  situated 
among  the  mountains,  and  often  have  large  property  at- 
tached to  them.  Many  of  them,  like  that  of  Sacrament, 
have  rich  vineyards.  The  people,  like  the  monks,  are  more 
bigoted  than  in  many  portions  ofi  Catholic  Europe.  The 
whole  province,  by  the  structure  of  its  buildings  and  ruined 
mosques,  recalls  the  days  of  Moorish  rule  in  Spain. 

The  convent  of  Mount  Carmel  forms  a pleasant  resting- 
place  for  the  traveler  in  the  Holy  Land.  The  situation  is 
noble.  The  convent  stands  high  upon  the  ridge,  looking 
down  upon  the  promontory.  It  is  a large,  solid,  square 
building,  with  a terraced  garden.  The  church,  which  is  a 
fine  rotunda,  is  in  the  center  of  the  convent.  In  the  sides 
of  the  mountains  round  the  convent  are  many  grottoes, 
which  were  occupied  by  the  anchorites  in  former  ages. 
This  convent  was  blown  up  in  1821  by  Abdullah.  After 
five  years  a lay  brother  resolved  upon  its  re-building.  He 
had  no  means,  but  drew  plans,  estimated  the  cost,  and  then 
begged  for  fourteen  years  through  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa, 
until  his  unceasing  toil  had  secured  half  a million  of  francs, 
and  rebuilt  the  stateliest  convent  of  Palestine. 


198  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

The  Sinai  convent  is  a veritable  oasis  to  the  desert  pil- 
grim. A sweet  sense  of  repose  and  security  steals  over  the 
mind  on  entering  it,  which  those  can  only  realize  who  have 
experienced  the  fatigue  and  excitement  of  a journey  amid 
native  wastes,  and  in  the  companionship  of  the  wild  Be- 
douin. The  convent  is  an  irregular  quadrangular  building, 
245  feet  by  204,  encompassed  by  thick  and  lofty  walls  of 
granite,  with  little  towers  at  intervals.  The  walls  exhibit 
motley  patchwork  of  various  ages  from  Justinian  to  Napo- 
leon. The  space  enclosed  is  cut  up  into  a number  of  little 
courts  and  passages  ; and  on  the  north  side  of  the  convent 
is  the  extensive  garden,  surrounded  by  a lofty  wall. 

The  Mohammedan  temples  of  worship  are  called  mosques. 
They  are  square  buildings,  usually  of  stone.  The  Turkish 
mosques  are  noted  for  their  elegant  cupolas.  Before  the 
chief  gate  there  is  a square  marble  court,  and  low  galleries 
round  it,  their  roofs  being  supported  by  marble  pillars.  In 
these  galleries,  ablutions  are  made  by  the  worshippers  before 
entering  the  mosque.  Each  mosque  has  a great  number  of 
lamps,  between  which  are  hung  crystal  rings,  ostrich  eggs, 
and  other  curiosities.  Women  are  not  permitted  to  enter 
the  mosque,  and  no  person  may  go  in  except  with  un- 
covered feet. 

Around  each  mosque  there  are  six  high  towers,  called 
minarets , covered  with  lead,  and  adorned  with  gilding  and 
other  ornaments.  From  these  towers,  the  people  are  sum- 
moned to  worship  by  criers,  called  muezzins . 

Cairo  has  nearly  three  hundred  mosques,  and  Constanti- 
nople over  one  thousand.* 

The  mosque  of  Aksa  in  Jerusalem  has  the  form  of  a 
great  church  of  seven  aisles.  It  is  272  feet  long,  and  covers 
about  50,000  square  feet.  The  interior  is  supported  by  forty- 
five  columns.  The  arches  of  the  middle  compartments  are 
filled  with  light  columns.  It  was  built  on  the  foundations 


* The  number  sometimes  given  (5,000)  is  an  exaggeration  ; it  includes  all  the  les- 
ser prayer-houses,  and,  even  at  that,  is  too  large.  The  largest  mosques  number  485. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


199 


of  an  ancient  Christian  church  in  the  seventh  century. 
There  is  nothing  commanding  in  the  exterior,  and  very 
little  of  special  interest  in  the  interior,  except  an  elaborate 
pulpit  brought  from  Damascus,  where  there  is  another  cel- 
ebrated mosque. 

In  Cairo  are  a vast  number  of  tombs*  near  which  are  an- 
cient mosques,  now  deserted  and  ruined,  the  haunt  of  Arab 
beggars,  but  still  impressive  from  their  peculiarly  graceful 
and  massive  architecture.  The  mosque  of  Sultan  Omar  is 
the  oldest  in  Egypt,  and  that  of  Sultan  Hasan  is  the  most 
magnificent.  The  latter  has  a lofty  and  beautifully  orna- 
mented porch,  and  the  rich  cornice  of  its  towering  walls,  its 
minarets,  and  the  arches  of  its  spacious  court,  must  delight 
every  admirer  of  architecture. 

Hot  far  from  the  citadel  of  Cairo  are  the  well-known 
tombs  of  the  Mamelukes,  usually  designated  by  the  Cai- 
renes as  the  Imam  e Shaffee,  from  the  chief  of  the  Moslems, 
whose  tomb  forms  a conspicuous  object.  Hear  this  is  the 
sepulchre  of  the  famous  Mohammed  Ali  and  his  family, 
consisting  of  a long  corridor  and  two  chambers,  each  cov- 
ered by  a dome. 

At  the  southeast  cornei  of  the  mosque  of  Aksa,  in  Jeru- 
salem, an  open  doorway  leads  into  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  a 
long,  low  building  with  pointed  arches.  In  its  southern  wall, 
between  two  of  the  twisted  columns,  stands  the  Mihrab  of 
Omar,  which,  according  to  the  present  tradition,  marks  the 
place  where  the  Caliph  Omar  first  prayed  when  he  entered 
Jerusalem. 


200 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


LXIIL— EGYPTIAN  ETTINS. 

The  temple  of  Isis  on  the  island  of  Philae  was  commenced 
by  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  and  completed  by  succeeding 
monarchs.  Many  of  the  sculptures  on  the  exterior  are  of 
the  later  epoch  of  the  Eoman  Emperors.  At  the  lower 
part  of  the  facade  is  a series  of  figures  representing  the  god 
Milus  carrying  various  emblems,  which  haye  been  found  to 
be  the  ancient  names  of  towns— a most  important  discov- 
ery, which  has  tended  to  throw  much  light  on  the  ancient 
geography  of  the  country.  The  eastern  tower  of  the  second 
or  inner  wall  stands  on  a granite  rock,  before  which  has 
been  erected  a small  chapel ; and  its  face,  cut  into  the  form 
of  a tablet,  bears  a long  inscription  of  the  twenty-fourth 
year  of  Euergetes  II. 

Many  parts  of  this  temple,  particularly  the  portico, 
though  not  possessing  the  chaste  and  simple  style  of  Pha- 
raonic monuments,  are  remarkable  for  lightness  and  ele- 
gance, and,  from  the  state  of  their  preservation,  they  convey 
a good  idea  of  the  effect  of  color  combined  with  the  details 
of  architecture.  Mor  are  the  sculptures  devoid  of  interest ; 
and  those  of  the  chamber  nearly  over  the  western  temple, 
containing  the  death  and  resurrection  of  the  god  Osiris, 
throw  great  light  on  the  study  of  Egyptian  mythology. 

It  would  be  an  endless  task  to  enter  into  a detailed  account 
of  all  that  Phil90  offers  to  the  curious  traveler.  There  are  sup- 
posed to  be  a greater  number  of  interesting  hieroglyphic 
inscriptions  on  the  temples  and  other  ruins  of  this  island 
than  at  any  other  one  spot  in  Egypt.  One  of  these  inscrip- 
tions was  a petition  of  the  priests  of  the  temple  to  the  king 5 
and  the  tenor  of  it  seems  to  be  to  prevent  so  many  people 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


201 


from  visiting  the  island  and  living  at  the  expense  of  the 
temple.  It  ran  as  follows : 

“To  King  Ptolemy  and  Queen  Cleopatra,  his  sister,  and 
Queen  Cleopatra,  his  wife,  gods  Euergetes,  greeting.  We 
the  priests  of  Isis,  the  very  great  goddess  worshipped  in 
Philse,  seeing  that  those  who  visit  Philae — generals,  chiefs, 
governors,  royal  scribes,  chiefs  of  police,  and  all  other  func- 
tionaries, as  well  as  their  soldiers  and  attendants — oblige  us 
to  provide  for  them  during  their  stay ; the  consequence  of 
which  is  that  the  temple  is  impoverished,  and  we  run  the 
risk  of  not  having  enough  for  the  usual  sacrifices  offered 
for  you  and  your  children ; we,  therefore,  do  pray  you,  0 
great  gods,  if  it  seem  right  to  you,  to  order  Numenius,  your 
cousin  and  scribe,  to  write  to  Lochus,  the  governor  of  the 
Thebaid,  not  to  disturb  us  in  this  manner,  and  not  to  allow 
any  other  person  to  do  so,  and  to  give  us  authority  to  this 
effect ; that  we  put  up  a small  monument  with  an  inscrip- 
tion commemorating  your  kindness  towards  us  on  this  occa- 
sion, so  that  your  gracious  favor  may  be  recorded  forever ; 
which  being  done,  we  and  the  Temple  of  Isis  shall  be  in- 
debted to  you  for  this  among  other  favors.  Hail.” 

The  island  of  Biggeh,  near  Philae,  contains  many  ruins, 
among  which  is  a small  temple  of  great  antiquity.  On  the 
rocks  here  are  numerous  inscriptions,  several  of  which  men- 
tion the  holy  objects  of  their  writers,  who  came  to  adore 
the  gods  of  this  district,  while  others  merely  present  the 
names  of  monarchs.  The  view  of  Philas  from  Biggeh  is 
very  fine,  embracing  all  the  ruins  of  that  island  and  its 
surroundings. 


9* 


202 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


LXIY— ST.  PETER’S  CHURCH  IN  ROME. 

Rome  is  a city  of  churches  and  religious  ceremonies ; and, 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  the  city  is  crowded  with  reli- 
gious pilgrims  and  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  to  share 
in  and  witness  the  great  religious  festivals.  Of  the  great 
cathedrals  in  the  city,  not  one  is  the  center  of  so  many  cere- 
monies or  commands  so  noble  a view  of  the  whole  city  as 
the  Church  of  St.  Peter’s,  the  most  majestic  temple  of  the 
Christian  world.  The  mind  does  not  at  first  comprehend 
its  immensity ; but  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  interior 
length  of  the  church  is  613  feet  and  its  width  446  feet,  its 
height  to  the  summit  of  the  cross  448  feet,  or  more  than 
twice  the  height  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument,  we  become 
conscious  of  its  gigantic  proportions. 

The  huge  cathedral  of  St.  Paul’s  at  London  might  stand 
within  the  shell  of  St.  Peter’s,  and  yet  leave  a hundred  feet 
of  space  at  the  ends  and  sixty-four  in  the  dome  above. 
This  stupendous  dome  is  unrivaled,  and  has  been  justly 
called  the  triumph  of  modern  architecture.  The  ascent  to 
the  roof  of  the  church  is  so  gradual  that  it  can  be  reached 
by  persons  on  horseback.  The  dome  is  195  feet  in  diame- 
ter ; and  from  its  top  the  lofty  Apennines,  wreathed  with 
snow,  are  visible.  The  vast  roof  seems  like  a village  of 
workmen,  whose  houses  there  increase  the  illusion.  As  the 
eye  sweeps  over  it,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  believe  that 
one  is  on  the  top  of  a high  building.  But  from  the  summit 
of  the  dome  itself  one  best  "appreciates  the  stupendous  size 
of  the  church.  People  moving  on  the  distant  pavement 
below  look  like  motes  rather  than  human  beings.  The 
yearly  cost  of  repairs  alone  is  said  to  be  over  $30,000. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


203 


St.  Peter’s  is  in  the  form  of  a Latin  cross,  flanked  by 
noble  colonnades  forming  two  semi-circular  porticoes,  with 
284  columns.  On  the  entablature  are  192  statues  of  saints, 
each  11  feet  high.  Crowning  its  front,  stand  13  colossal 
statues,  17  feet  high,  representing  Christ  and  the  Apostles. 
The  magnificent  vestibule  is  reached  by  five  entrances,  and 
is  439  feet  long. 

The  size  of  the  interior  is  not  at  first  apparent,  owing  to 
the  huge  statues.  The  eye,  being  unaccustomed  to  these 
great  forms,  insensibly  imagines  them  of  ordinary  size,  and 
thus  supplies  itself  with  a false  standard  by  which  to  meas- 
ure the  spaces  in  the  church.  Perhaps,  however,  no  other 
religious  structure  affects  the  mind  with  such  awe  and 
admiration  as  this  vast  cathedral,  whose  erection  extended 
through  the  reigns  of  forty-six  popes,  and  which  covers  a 
space  of  240,000  square  feet. 

“ But  thou,  of  temples  old,  or  altars  new, 

Standest  alone — with  nothing  like  to  thee. 

Worthiest  of  God,  the  holy  and  the  true. 

Since  Zion;s  desolation,  when  that  He 
Forsook  His  former  city,  what  could  be, 

Of  earthly  structures,  in  His  honor  piled, 

Of  a sublimer  aspect  ? Majesty, 

Power,  glory,  strength,  and  beauty,  all  are  aisled 
In  this  eternal  ark  of  worship  undefiled.” 


LXV.— ROME.  ' 

Great  Rome  ! imperial  city  ! thou  hast  been 
Italia’s  ruler  and  the  world’s  proud  queen ; 
Strongly  thou  rear’dst  thy  monumental  stones, 
Unrivaled  mistress  of  a thousand  thrones ! 

But  now  they  totter  like  thine  own  high  pride, 
While  foes  around  thee  exultingly  deride ; 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


And  pilgrims  from  each  far  barbaric  land, 

Smile  as  beneath  thy  crumbling  towers  they  stand; 

For  now  no  more  they  quail  beneath  the  star 
"Which  beamed  above  thy  Csesarean  car  ! 

No  more  they  view  Augustan  pomp  display 
Thy  triumphs  grand  along  the  crowded  way. 

Thou  Moloch ! lo ! upon  thy  crimsoned  shrine 
The  blood  of  nations  cried  ’gainst  thee  and  thine ; 

Till  retribution,  with  uplifted  hand, 

Snatched  from  thy  vengeful  grasp  the  murd’rous  brand, 
And  crushed,  with  inextinguishable  hate, 

The  guilty  power  which  made  earth  desolate. 

The  teeming  North  sent  forth  her  famished  brave, 

The  Goth  and  Hun,  to  delve  thy  glory’s  grave ; 

And  those  who  long  were  scorned,  struck  home  the  blow 
Which  laid,  at  last,  th’  Eternal  City  low, — 

And  bade  the  thunder-borne,  re-echoing  name 
Shrink  to  a whisper  of  departed  fame. 

Yet,  ’midst  thy  ruins,  phantom-like,  arise 
Memorials  of  the  brave,  the  great,  the  wise; 

Yes,  memory  hath  embalmed  thy  mighty  name, 

And  breathes  around  thy  hills  undying  fame ; 
Remembrance  sacred  makes  thy  deep  distress. 

And  throws  a halo  around  thy  wretchedness ! 

Thou,  too,  Rienzi,  last  of  Rome’s  great  chiefs, 

Who,  ’midst  the  pressure  of  her  mighty  griefs, 

Stood’ st  forth  alone  to  raise  her  drooping  power, 
Shouting  that  name  which  made  the  nations  cower. 
Which  nerved  a Brutus  to  the  desperate  deed, 

Which  ’venged  a Pompey,  and  made  a Caesar  bleed. 

What  though  the  mighty  spirit  surely  knew 
To  curb  tumultuous  factions  as  they  grew  ? 

"What  though  thou  snapp’dst  asunder  the  dark  chain 
Of  Despotism’s  most  detested  reign  ? 

How  wert  thou  ’guiled  ? History  shall  respond : — 

“ Rome  was  ingrate,  and  thou,  alas  ! too  fond  ! 

Forth  from  her  streets  with  thee  forever  fled 
The  ling’ring  spirits  of  her  mighty  dead.” 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


205 


LXVL— CAVES  AND  GOEGES. 

A gorge  is  practically  only  a cave  with  the  roof  taken  off. 
In  mountainous  countries  both  are  frequent;  and  the  Alps 
of  Europe  present  many  specimens  of  this  formation  which 
are  unrivaled  in  boldness  and  magnificence  of  scenery. 
Belov/  the  Alpine  village  of  Val  Orsine,  in  Switzerland,  the 
valley  of  the  same  name  narrows  to  a gorge,  abounding  in 
season  with  wild  fruits.  Through  this  a torrent  forces  its 
way  into  the  more  open  valley  below,  acquiring  in  its  course 
fresh  force  from  the  contributions  of  numerous  water-falls 
and  streams  which  descend  from  the  glaciers  above.  The 
road  is  carried  over  the  mountain  side,  and  at  one  place  a 
gallery  is  pierced  through  a rock,  in  a situation  of  singular 
grandeur,  where  it  overhangs  precipitously  the  dark  valley 
beneath.  In  another  place,  through  the  wildest  part  of  the 
ravine,  the  road  passes  under  and  quite  out  of  sight  of  an 
overhanging  rock. 

The  most  tremendous  and  striking  defile  in  all  Switzer- 
land is  the  Via  Mala,  through  which  a carriage  road  ex- 
tends. The  walls  of  rock  are  on  each  side  1,500  feet  high, 
and  often  not  more  than  ten  yards  apart.  The  Ehine,  com- 
pressed within  this  narrow,  stony  bed,  to  the  width  of  a 
pigmy  rivulet,  is  barely  audible  as  it  rushes  through  its 
depths  below  the  road.  Three  bridges  in  different  parts  of 
its  route  cross  the  Ehine,  and  of  these  the  Middle  Bridge  is 
the  most  striking,  from  its  graceful  proportions  and  the 
boldness  with  which  its  light  arch  spans  the  dark  and  deep 
gulf  below.  Hereabouts  the  lofty  precipices  on  the  one 
side  actually  overhang  those  on  the  other,  the  direction  of 
the  chasm  being  oblique,  and  the  smooth  wall  of  rock  on 


206 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


either  side  being  nearly  parallel,  and  scarcely  wider  apart 
above  than  below.  Looking  oyer  the  parapet  of  this  bridge, 
400  feet  high,  the  Rhine,  reduced  to  a thread  of  water,  is 
barely  visible,  boiling  and  foaming  in  the  depths  of  its 

gorge. 

There  are  numerous  other  gorges  ®f  almost  equal  interset 
in  the  vicinity.  One,  the  Gorge  du  Moutiers,  on  the  route 
to  the  famous  warm  springs  of  Torentaise,  is  very  striking 
in  its  grandeur  and  picturesqueness.  A short  distance  be- 
yond the  village  of  Aiqueblanche  the  road  rises,  and  having 
passed  the  crest  of  a hill,  descends  into  a deep  defile  that 
leads  to  Moutiers.  Here  the  road  is  terraced  along  the 
steep  slope  of  the  gorge  for  some  distance  until  it  abruptly 
enters  the  basin  of  the  Yal  Isere. 

There  are  few  natural  objects  which  have  awakened  more 
curiosity,  or  more  strongly  affected  the  imagination  than 
the  hollow  places,  of  various  form  and  size,  common  in  dis- 
tricts which  have  been  subject  to  great  physical  disturb- 
ance. Their  seclusion  and  gloom — their  fantastic  archi- 
tecture—the  effect  of  torch-light  upon  their  numerous 
crystallizations — together  with  their  unknown  extent  in 
many  cases — all  these  contribute  to  invest  the  cavities  of 
the  earth  with  exciting  interest. 

We  have  only  space  here  to  notice  one  of  these,  namely, 
the  Colleen  Bawn  cave,  Ireland.  This  is  one  of  the  curiosi- 
ties of  the  region  where  it  is  situated.  The  well-known 
Colleen  Bawn  rock,  rising  to  a considerable  height,  has 
been  gradually  eaten  out  by  the  waves,  until  it  is  perforated 
in  every  direction,  and,  from  one  side,  seems  to  stand  only 
on  a few  insignificant  pillars  of  rock.  It  can  be  entered  in 
a boat,  and  its  fissures  have  been  pretty  well  explored  by 
tourists  in  the  neighborhood. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


207 


LXVIL— HEW  YORK  CITY. 

There  are  a vast  number  of  interesting  objects  in  the 
metropolis  of  this  country  that  are  worthy  of  special  de- 
scription,, but  we  are  obliged  to  limit  ourselves  to  a few  of 
the  more  prominent.  Among  these  the  City  Hall  must,  of 
course,  be  ranked.  It  occupies  the  center  of  the  Park,  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  city,  and  is  a very  large,  handsome 
building,  in  combined  Ionic  and  Corinthian  orders,  of  white 
marble,  except  on  its  northern  side,  and  surmounted  by  a 
cupola,  which  is  crowned  by  a statue  of  Justice.  Its  apart- 
ments are  used  as  public  offices,  for  the  Mayor  and  other 
members  of  the  city  government.  The  principal  apartment, 
called  the  Governor’s  Room,  contains  a fine  collection  of 
portraits  of  men  celebrated  in  the  civil,  military,  and  naval 
history  of  the  country. 

The  Hall  of  Justice,  or  City  Prison,  is  an  extremely  mas- 
sive granite  building,  of  Egyptian  architecture,  and  occu- 
pies an  entire  block.  Its  gloomy  aspect  has  obtained  for  it 
the  general  name  of  “ The  Tombs.”  Its  front  has  a recessed 
portico,  supported  by  fourteen  huge  columns.  It  is  chiefly 
occupied  as  a prison,  though  in  part  by  the  criminal  courts, 
and  in  part  as  a police  station. 

In  the  United  States,  money  is  expended  and  taste  dis- 
played in  stores,  warehouses,  etc.,  which  in  other  countries 
would  be  devoted  to  objects  of  quite  a different  character. 
Our  large  cities  contain  palaces  of  trade,  unequaled  in  mag- 
nificence anywhere  in  the  world.  The  best  representative 
of  this  class  of  buildings  is  Stewart’s  new  store,  covering  an 
entire  square,  between  Broadway,  Hinth  and  Tenth  streets, 
and  Fourth  avenue.  The  structure  is  of  iron,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  be  fire-proof. 


208 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


There  are  eight  public  and  a few  private  parks  in  the 
city  Of  these  the  most  noted  is  Central  Park,  containing 
843  acres  of  ground,  and  extending  from  Fifty-ninth  to  One 
hundred  and  tenth  street,  two  and  a half  miles  long,  and 
from  Fifth  to  Eighth  avenue,  three-fifths  of  a mile  wide. 
It  contains  drives,  bridle-paths,  foot-paths,  play-grounds, 
ponds,  lakes,  exotic  and  native  trees  and  plants,  and  presents 
all  the  features  of  a rural  pleasure  ground,  twice  as  large  as 
Hyde  Park,  in  London. 

Nature  and  art  combine  in  Central  Park  to  produce 
pleasing  and  beautiful  effects.  The  lakes,  the  shade  trees, 
and  the  sloping  meads  are  artistically  harmonized,  and  ar- 
ranged with  broad  carriage  drives,  fountains,  and  terraces  in 
endless  variety.  Of  the  latter,  that  which  is  called  the  mar- 
ble terrace,  is  especially  beautiful. 

It  is  as  the  great  center  of  commerce  for  half  a continent, 
that  New  York  derives  its  highest  claim  to  pre-eminence. 
Its  harbor  is  one  of  the  most  capacious  in  the  world,  and  its 
facilities  for  interior  communications  are  unrivaled  by  any 
commercial  emporium  of  this  or  any  former  period.  Nor 
have  her  merchants  been  satisfied  to  repose  on  its  natural 
advantages,  but  have  connected  themselves  by  iron  arms 
with  every  point  of  the  compass ; so  that  there  are  now 
deposited  on  their  docks,  and  in  their  depots,  the  cotton, 
tobacco,  and  rice  of  the  South,  the  lead,  grain  and  pork 
of  the  West,  and  the  wool,  wheat  and  lumber  of  the 
North  and  East. 

As  a seat  of  trade,  New  York  is  now  only  surpassed  by 
London,  and  in  another  century  will  probably  be  the  com- 
mercial center  of  the  world.  Along  its  wharves,  in  every 
direction,  may  be  seen  forests  of  masts,  where  countless 
vessels  of  every  description  and  from  every  quarter  of  the- 
globe,  pour  their  rich  tribute  into  the  lap  of  this  queen  of 
commercial  cities.  Steamers  of  such  size,  splendor,  and 
speed  as  the  world  has  never  before  seen,  form  regular  lines 
of  packets  to  every  important  foreign  point,  and  daily 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


209 


arrive  and  depart,  freighted  with  merchandize  and  crowded 
with  passengers. 

Brooklyn,  separated  from  New  York  by  the  East  River, 
though  having  a corporation  of  its  own,  is  really  a part  of 
that  city,  since  the  greater  part  of  its  residents  do  their 
business  in  New  York.  Brooklyn,  of  itself,  is  the  third  city 
of  the  country  in  population.  The  United  States  Navy 
Yard  is  located  here,  and  covers  forty-five  acres  of  land  on 
the  south  shore  of  Wallabout  Bay.  A high  brick  wall  sur- 
rounds the  yard ; within  it  are  two  immense  ship-houses, 
and  the  largest  dry-dock  in  the  country,  built  of  granite, 
massive  and  substantial  in  structure,  at  a cost  of 
$1,000,000. 


LXYIIL— THE  FALLS  OF  NIAGARA. 

Now  that  I propose  to  attempt  a description  of  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,  I feel  myself  threatened  with  a return  of  those 
throbs  of  trembling  expectation  which  agitated  me  on  my 
first  visit  to  those  stupendous  cataracts,  and  to  which 
every  person  of  the  least  sensibility  is  liable,  when  he  is  on 
the  eve  of  seeing  anything  that  has  strongly  excited  his 
curiosity  or  powerfully  affected  his  imagination. 

The  form  of  Niagara  Falls  is  that  of  an  irregular  semi- 
circle, about  three-quarters  of  a mile  in  extent.  This  is 
divided  into  two  distinct  cascades  by  the  intervention  of 
Goat  Island,  the  extremity  of  which  is  perpendicular, 
and  in  a line  with  the  precipice  over  which  the  water  is 
projected.  The  cataract  on  the  Canada  side  of  the  river  is 


210  THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 

called  the  Horse-shoe  or  Great  Fall,  from  its  peculiar  form, 
and  that  next  the  United  States,  the  American  Fall.  The 
Table  Rock,  from  which  the  Falls  of  Niagara  may  be  con- 
templated in  all  their  grandeur,  lies  on  an  exact  level  with 
the  edge  of  the  cataract  on  the  Canada  side,  and,  indeed, 
forms  a part  of  the  precipice  over  which  the  water  gushes. 
It  derives  its  name  from  the  circumstance  of  its  projecting 
beyond  the  cliffs  that  support  it,  like  the  leaf  of  a table. 
To  gain  this  position,  it  is  necessary  to  descend  a steep 
bank,  and  to  follow  a path  that  winds  among  shrubbery 
and  trees,  which  entirely  conceal  from  the  eye  the  scene 
that  awaits  him  who  traverses  it. 

When  near  the  termination  of  this  road,  a few  steps  car- 
ried me  beyond  all  these  obstructions,  and  a magnificent 
amphitheater  of  cataracts  burst  upon  my  view  with  appal- 
ling suddenness  and  majesty.  However,  in  a moment  the 
scene  was  concealed  from  my  eyes  by  a dense  cloud  of  spray, 
which  enveloped  me  so  completely,  that  I did  not  dare  to 
extricate  myself.  A mingled  rushing  and  thundering  filled 
my  ears.  I could  see  nothing,  except  when  the  wind  made 
a chasm  in  the  spray,  and  then  tremendous  cataracts  seemed 
to  encompass  me  on  every  side ; while  below,  a raging  and 
foamy  gulf  of  undiscoverable  extent  lashed  the  rocks  with 
its  hissing  waves,  and  swallowed,  under  a horrible  ob- 
scurity, the  smoking  floods  that  were  precipitated  into  its 
bosom. 

At  first  the  sun  was  obscured  by  clouds,  but  after  a few 
minutes  the  sun  burst  forth,  and  the  breeze  subsiding  at  the 
same  time,  permitted  the  spray  to  ascend  perpendicularly. 
A host  of  pyramidal  clouds  rose  majestically,  one  after 
another,  from  the  abyss  at  the  bottom  of  the  fall ; and  each, 
when  it  had  ascended  a little  above  the  edge  of  the  cataract, 
displayed  a beautiful  rainbow,  which,  in  a few  moments, 
was  gradually  transferred  into  the  bosom  of  the  cloud  that 
immediately  succeeded.  The  spray  of  the  Great  Fall  had 
extended  itself  through  a wide  space  directly  over  me,  and 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


211 


receiving  the  full  influence  of  the  sun,  exhibited  a luminous 
and  magnificent  rainbow,  which  continued  to  overarch  and 
irradiate  the  spot  on  which  I stood,  while  I enthusiastically 
contemplated  the  indescribable  scene. 

The  body  of  water  which  composes  the  middle  part  of 
the  Great  Fall  is  so  immense,  that  it  descends  nearly  twro- 
tliirds  of  the  space  without  being  ruffled  or  broken ; and  the 
solemn  calmness  with  which  it  rolls  over  the  edge  of  the 
precipice  is  finely  contrasted  with  the  perturbed  appearance 
it  assumes  after  having  reached  the  gulf  below.  But  the 
water  towards  each  side  of  the  fall  is  shattered  the  moment 
it  drops  over  the  rock,  and  loses  as  it  descends,  in  a great 
measure,  the  character  of  a fluid,  being  divided  into  pyra- 
midal shaped  fragments,  the  bases  of  which  are  turned  up- 
wards. The  surface  of  the  gulf  below  the  cataract  presents 
a very  singular  aspect ; seeming,  as  it  wrere,  filled  with  an 
immense  quantity  of  hoar-frost,  which  is  agitated  by  small 
and  rapid  undulations.  The  particles  of  water  are  dazzlingly 
white,  and  do  not  apparently  unite  together,  as  might  be 
supposed,  but  seem  to  continue  for  a time  in  a state  of 
distinct  comminution,  and  to  repel  each  other  with  a thrill- 
ing and  shivering  motion  which  cannot  easily  be  de- 
scribed. 

The  noise  made  by  the  Horse-shoe  Fall,  though  very 
great,  is  far  less  than  might  be  expected,  and  rises  in  loud- 
ness according  to  the  state  of  the  atmosphere.  When  the 
weather  is  clear  and  frosty,  it  may  be  distinctly  heard  at  the 
distance  of  ten  or  twelve  miles — nay,  much  further,  when 
there  is  a steady  breeze ; but,  I have  frequently  stood  upon 
the  declivity  of  the  high  bank  that  overlooks  the  Table 
Bock,  and  distinguished  a low  thundering  only,  wrhich,  at 
times,  was  altogether  drowmed  amid  the  roaring  of  the 
rapids  above  the  cataract.  In  my  opinion,  the  concave 
shape  of  the  Great  Fall  explains  this  circumstance.  The 
noise  vibrates  from  one  side  of  the  rocky  recess  to  the  other, 
and  only  a little  escapes  from  its  confinement;  and  even 


212 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


this  is  less  distinctly  heard  than  it  would  otherwise  be,  as 
the  profusion  of  spray  renders  the  air  near  the  cataract  a 
very  indifferent  conductor  of  sound. 

The  road  to  the  bottom  of  the  Fall  presents  many  more 
difficulties  than  that  which  leads  to  the  Table  Eock.  After 
leaving  the  Table  Eock,  the  traveler  must  proceed  down  the 
river  nearly  half  a mile,  when  he  will  come  to  a small  chasm 
in  tire  bank,  in  which  there  is  a spiral  staircase  enclosed  in 
a wooden  building.  By  descending  this  stair,  which  is 
seventy  or  eighty  feet  in  perpendicular  height,  he  will  find 
himself  under  the  precipice,  on  the  top  of  which  he  for- 
merly walked.  A high  but  sloping  bank  extends  from  its 
base  to  the  edge  of  the  river ; and  on  the  summit  of  this 
there  is  a narrow,  slippery  path,  covered  with  angular  frag- 
ments of  rock,  which  leads  to  the  Great  Fall. 

The  impending  cliffs,  hung  with  a profusion  of  trees  and 
brushwood,  overarch  this  road,  and  seem  to  vibrate  with 
the  thunders  of  the  cataract.  In  some  places  they  rise 
abruptly  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  display 
upon  their  surface  fossils,  shells,  and  the  organic  remains 
of  a former  world ; thus  sublimely  leading  the  mind  to  con- 
template the  convulsions  which  nature  has  undergone  since 
the  creation. 

As  the  traveler  advances,  he  is  frightfully  stunned  by  the 
appalling  noise ; for  clouds  of  spray  sometimes  envelop  him, 
and  suddenly  check  his  faltering  steps ; rattlesnakes  start 
from  the  cavities  of  the  rocks,  and  the  screams  of  eagles 
soaring  among  the  whirlwinds  of  eddying  vapor,  which 
obscure  the  gulf  of  the  cataract,  at  intervals  announce  that 
the  raging  waters  have  hurled  some  bewildered  animal  over 
the  precipice. 

After  scrambling  among  piles  of  huge  rocks  that  obstruct 
his  way,  the  traveler  gains  the  bottom  of  the  Falls  where  the 
soul  can  be  susceptible  of  but  one  emotion,  namely,  that  of 
uncontrollable  terror.  It  was  not  until  I had,  by  frequent 
excursions  to  the  Falls,  in  some  measure  familiarized  my  mind 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


213 


with  their  sublimities,  that  I ventured  to  explore  the  pene- 
tralia of  the  cataract.  The  precipice  over  which  it  rolls  is 
very  much  arched  underneath ; while  the  impetus  which 
the  water  receives  in  its  descent  projects  it  far  beyond  the- 
cliff,  and  thus  an  immense  Gothic  arch  is  formed  by  the 
rock  and  the  torrent. 

Twice  I entered  this  cavern,  and  twice  I was  obliged  to 
retrace  my  steps,  lest  I should  be  suffocated  by  the  blasts 
of  dense  spray  that  whirled  around  me;  however,  the  third 
time  I succeeded  in  advancing  about  twenty-five  yards. 
Here  darkness  began  to  encircle  me ; on  one  side,  the  black 
cliff  stretched  itself  into  a gigantic  arch  far  above  my  head, 
and  on  the  other,  the  dense  and  hissing  torrent  formed  an 
impenetrable  sheet  of  foam,  with  which  I was  drenched  in 
a moment.  The  rocks  were  so  slippery  that  I could  hardly 
keep  my  feet  or  hold  securely  by  them ; while  the  horrid 
din  made  me  think  the  precipice  above  was  tumbling  down 
in  colossal  fragments  upon  my  head. 

It  is  not  easy  to  determine  how  far  an  individual  might 
advance  between  the  sheet  of  water  and  the  rock ; but 
were  it  even  possible  to  explore  the  recess  to  its  utmost 
extremity,  scarcely  any  one,  I believe,  would  have  courage 
to  attempt  an  expedition  of  the  kind. 

A little  way  below  the  Great  Fall  the  river  is,  compara- 
tively speaking,  tranquil,  so  that  a ferry-boat  plies  between 
the  Canadian  and  American  shores  for  the  convenience  of 
travelers.  When  I first  crossed,  the  heaving  flood  tossed 
about  the  skiff  with  a violence  that  seemed  very  alarming ; 
but  as  soon  as  we  gained  the  middle  of  the  river,  my  atten- 
tion was  altogether  engaged  by  the  surpassing  grandeur  of 
the  scene  before  me.  v 

I was  now  within  the  area  of  a semicircle  of  cataracts, 
more  than  three  thousand  feet  in  extent,  and  floated  on  the 
surface  of  a gulf  raging  fathomless  and  interminable. 
Majestic  cliffs,  splendid  rainbows,  lofty  trees,  and  columns 
of  spray,  were  the  gorgeous  .decorations  of  this  theater  of 


214 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


wonders,  while  a dazzling  sun  shed  refulgent  glories  upon 
the  scene. 

Surrounded  with  clouds  of  vapor,  and  stunned  into  a . 
state  of  confusion  and  terror  by  the  hideous  noise,  I looked 
upwards  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and 
saw  vast  floods,  dense,  awful,  and  stupendous,  vehemently 
bursting  over  the  precipice,  and  rolling  down,  as  if  the  win- 
dows of  heaven  were  opened  to  pour  another  deluge  upon  the 
earth.  Loud  sounds,  resembling  discharges  of  artillery  or 
volcanic  explosions,  were  now  distinguishable  amidst  the 
watery  tumult,  and  added  terrors  to  the  abyss  from  which 
they  issued.  The  sun,  looking  majestically  through  the 
ascending  spray,  was  encircled  by  a radiant  halo,  whilst 
fragments  of  rainbows  floated  on  every  side,  and  momenta- 
rily vanished,  only  to  give  place  to  a succession  of  others 
more  brilliant..  Looking  backwards,  I saw  the  Niagara 
River,  again  become  calm  and  tranquil,  rolling  magnifi- 
cently between  the  towering  cliffs  that  rose  on  either  side, 
and  receiving  showers  of  orient  dew-drops  from  the  trees 
that  gracefully  overarched  its  transparent  bosom. 

There  have  been  instances  of  people  being  carried  over 
the. Falls,  but  I believe  none  of  the  bodies  ever  were  found. 
The  rapidity  of  the  river,  before  it  tumbles  down  the  preci- 
pice, is  so  great,  that  a human  body  would  certainly  be 
whirled  along  without  sinking;  therefore  some  of  those 
individuals,  to  whom  I allude,  probably  retained  their 
senses  till  they  reached  the  edge  of  the  cataract,  and  even 
looked  down  upon  the  gulf  into  which  they  were  the  next 
moment  precipitated. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  points  m the  neighborhood 
of  the  Falls  is  Terrapin  Tower.  This  is  an  old  shaky-look- 
ing  building,  set  on  a ledge  of  rock,  near  the  edge  of  the 
Falls,  and  is  approached  from  Goat  Island  by  a wooden  foot 
bridge.  It  is  not  very  high,  and  there  is  a balcony  at  the 
top,  where  some  half-dozen  persons  may  stand  at  ease. 
Even  at  this  spot,  the  Fall  is  not  brought  so  fully  before 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


215 


your  eye  as  it  will  be  when  you  come  to  stand  near  it  on 
the  Canadian  shore ; but  it  shows  itself  more  beautifully. 
Here  no  spray  will  reach  you,  although  you  are  absolutely 
over  the  waters ; while,  on  the  Canadian  side,  the  road,  as 
it  approaches  the  Fall,  is  wet  and  rotten  with  spray. 

Nevertheless,  the  Canadian  side  offers  many  good  out- 
looks. From  the  hill,  shortly  below  the  Falls,  you  may 
look  directly  into  the  full  circle  of  the  upper  cataract,  while 
you  will  have  before  you,  at  your  left  hand,  the  whole  ex- 
panse of  the  lesser  Fall.  Here  is  the  cave  behind  the  Fall, 
into  which  persons  can  enter,  and  pass,  by  a rough  and  slip- 
pery path,  toward  Goat  Island. 

In  the  winter  season,  Niagara  presents  many  features  of 
grandeur  not  at  other  times  disclosed.  The  ice,  gathering 
at  every  available  point,  and  often  forming  huge  masses  at 
the  very  edge  and  foot  of  the  Falls,  or  rising  in  slender 
icicles  to  a great  height,  while  the  neighboring  landscape  is 
white  with  snow  and  frost,  conveys  a pleasing  and  a lasting 
picture  to  the  mind- 


LXXX. — NIAGARA. 

I stood  within  a vision’s  spell ; 

I saw,  I heard.  The  liquid  thunder 
Went  pouring  to  its  foaming  hell. 

And  it  fell, 

Ever,  ever  fell 

Into  the  invisible  abyss  that  opened  undej. 

I stood  upon  a speck  of  ground ; 

Before  me  fell  a stormy  ocean, 

I was  like  a captive  bound ; 

And  around 
A universe  of  sound 

Troubled  the  heavens  with  ever-quivering  motion. 


216 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


Down,  down  foreyer — down,  down  forever, 
Something  falling,  falling,  falling, 

Up,  up  foreyer — up,  up  forever, 

Resting  never. 

Boiling  up  forever, 

Steam-clouds  shot  up  with  thunder-bolts  appalling. 

A tone  that  since  the  birth  of  man 
Was  never  for  a moment  broken, 

A word  that  since  the  world  began, 

And  waters  ran, 

Hath  spoken  still  to  man — 

Of  God  and  of  Eternity  hath  spoken. 

Foam-clouds  there  forever  rise 
With  a restless  roar  o’erboiling-r 
Rainbows  stooping  from  the  skies 
Charm  the  eyes, 

Beautiful  they  rise. 

Cheering  the  cataracts  to  their  mighty  toiling. 

And  in  that  vision  as  it  passed. 

Was  gathered  terror,  beauty,  power ; 

And  still  when  all  has  fled,  too  fast, 

And  I at  last 

Dream  of  the  dreamy  past, 

My  heart  is  full  when  lingering  on  that  hour. 


LXX.— AMERICAN  WATER-FALLS. 

The  front  rank  in  the  grandeur  and  number  of  cascades 
may  be  assigned  to  America.  There  is  no  fall  in  the 
world  of  such  volume  as  Niagara,  nor  of  such  height  as 
some  in  California.  These  will  be  elsewhere  described. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


217 


Scattered  oyer  the  broad  region  of  the  United  States  are 
hundreds  of  minor  falls,  each  of  which  is  possessed  of  con- 
siderable beauty,  and  often  magnificence. 

Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  Falls  of  the  Catskill, 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  The  Catskill  (often  spelled 
Kauterskill)  river  is  a small  stream,  descending  from  the 
mountains  of  the  same  name,  by  a series  of  cascades  and  an 
abrupt  fall  of  180  feet.  The  attraction  of  the  place  con- 
sists as  much  in  the  wildness  of  the  surrounding  scenery  as 
in  the  beauty  of  the  Falls  themselves ; and  it  is  a favorite 
haunt  for  tourists  and  pleasure  seekers  during  the  summer 
months.  The  Falls  are  precipitated  into  a circular  am- 
phitheater, whose  tangled  thickets  and  rocky  acclivities 
render  it  almost  impenetrable,  and  from  thence  it  takes  a 
second  leap  into  another  chasm, 

Genesee  Falls,  at  Rochester,  New  York,  though  claiming 
great  admiration  from  their  natural  beauty,  are  of  greater 
importance  by  their  utility  in  the  aid  of  manufactures. 
The  water-power  furnished  by  the  Falls  has  given  motion 
to  a large  number  of  mills  and  factories,  among  which  flour- 
ing mills  so  predominate  as  to  confer  upon  Rochester  the 
name  of  “ Flour  City.” 

The  river,  within  a course  of  three  miles,  has  a total  de- 
scent of  226  feet,  with  three  perpendicular  falls  of  95,  20, 
and  75  feet.  The  first  of  these  is  within  the  limits  of  the 
city,  a little  north  of  the  center,  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  most' beautiful  cataracts  in  the  State.  Below  the  upper 
falls  the  broad  river  flows  through  a ravine  more  than  100 
feet  deep. 

In  the  Southern  States  the  vagaries  of  water  are  less 
marked  than  in  the  eastern  and  western  sections  of  the 
country.  There  are  few  water-falls  of  note  south  of  the 
Ohio  river,  this  fact  being  due  to  the  general  lack  of  eleva- 
tion in  the  land.  It  is  true  that  the  Alleghany  system  of 
mountains  projects  as  far  south  as  the  State  of  Georgia; 


10 


218 


THE  WOBLD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


but,  with  this  exception,  there  are  few  parts  of  this  whole 
region  that  can  be  called  hilly. 

On  the  summit  of  Lookout  Mountain,  in  Tennessee, 
there  is  a picturesque  water-fall  formed  by  a small  stream 
descending  oyer  a sharp  ledge  of  rock  into  a rocky  chasm 
beneath.  Its  solitude  and  wildness  of  scenery  render  the 
spot  doubly  attractive  to  whoever  has  had  the  fortune  to 
view  it. 


LXXI.— PALESTINE. 

The  Holy  Land,  the  theater  of  the  most  momentous 
events  in  the  world’s  religious  history,  is  but  a strip  of 
country  less  than  140  miles  in  length,  and  barely  40  in 
average  breadth,  hemmed  in  between  the  Mediterranean  Sea 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  enormous  trench  of  the  Jordan 
valley  on  the  other.  It  is  essentially  a mountainous 
country ; not  that  it  contains  independent  mountain 
chains,  as  in  Greece,  for  example,  dividing  one  region  from 
another,  with  extensive  valleys  and  plains  between  them, 
but  that  every  part  of  the  highland  is  covered  with  hills. 
The  mass  of  hills  in  the  center  of  the  country  is  bordered 
on  all  sides  by  a broad  belt  of  lowland,  sunk  deep  below  its 
own  level.  The  slopes  or  cliffs  between  the  low  and  high 
lands  are  furrowed  by  the  torrent  beds  which  discharge  the 
waters  of  the  hills,  and  form  the  channel  of  communication 
between  the  two  sections  of  country. 

Such  are  some  of  the  general  physical  features  of  the 
Holy  Land  at  the  present  day.  Many  of  the  cities  and 
villages  that  are  mentioned  in  the  Bible  are  existing  to- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


219 


day,  though  in  a far  different  condition.  A few,  like  Jeru- 
salem and  Jaffa,  are  of  comparative  importance,  hut  the 
most  have  sunk  into  mere  ruins  or  squalid  settlements. 

The  town  of  Nazareth  is  invested  with  a peculiar  interest 
to  the  Christian  world,  as  having  been  the  spot  where  Jesus 
passed  his  boyhood.  The  position  of  the  town  itself  cannot 
be  called  either  fine  or  picturesque.  High  up  among  the 
hills  that  bound  the  plain  of  Esdrselon  is  a little  valley,  a 
mile  long  and  a quarter  of  a mile  in  width.  It  is  filled 
with  corn-fields,  and  has  a patch  of  gardens,  enclosed  by 
hedges  of  cactus,  in  the  center;  and  it  has  olive  trees 
sprinkled  in  clumps  and  singly  throughout. 

A line  of  rocky  hill-tops  encompasses  it,  and  the  white 
limestone  of  which  they  are  composed  is  -dotted  and 
streaked  with  the  foliage  of  fig-trees  and  wild  shrubs.  The 
side  of  the  hill  is  steep,  and  its  lower  part,  where  it  joins 
the  plain,  is  seamed  by  three  or  four  ravines.  In  these 
ravines  and  on  the  ridges  between  them,  stands  the  village 
of  Nazareth.  The  houses  in  some  places  seem  to  cling  to  the 
sides  of  precipices.  The  most  prominent  building  is  a Fran- 
ciscan convent ; and  a little  above  it  is  a mosque,  with  a 
tall,  white  minaret. 

Jerusalem  stands  on  the  summit  of  a broad  mountain 
ridge,  which  extends  from  the  plain  of  Esdrselon  to  the 
desert  of  Beersheba.  The  town  is  surrounded  by  walls,  high 
and  imposing  in  appearance,  but  far  from  strong.  A single 
discharge  of  heavy  artillery  would  lay  them  prostrate,  yet 
they  are  sufficient  to  keep  in  check  the  roving  A rab  tribes 
and  turbulent  peasantry.  To  the, walls  there  are  five  gates. 
The  streets  of  Jerusalem  are  more  regular  than  those  of 
most  Eastern  cities,  yet  they  are  narrow  and  wretchedly 
paved,  when  paved  at  all.  The  population  has  been  vari- 
ously estimated,  though  its  real  census  is  about  16,000. 

The  principal  religious  sects  are  the  Mohammedans, 
Jews,  and  Christians,  of  which  the  former  predominate 
The  great  interest  attached  to  J erusalem  is  connected  with 


220  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

its  historical  associations.  There  is  little  in  the  character 
of  its  relics,  or  in  its  situation,  to  attract  attention;  but 
when  viewed  in  the  light  of  sacred  history,  it  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  spots  on  earth.  Every  hill  and  vale,  every 
fountain  and  grove,  and  almost  every  grot  and  stone  has  its 
story.  Jerusalem  attained  its  greatest  pitch  of  power  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Solomon. 

It  afterward  passed  through  many  changes  of  fortune, 
until  it  was  plundered  and  burned  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
King  of  Babylon.  After  fitfy-three  years  of  captivity,  the 
Israelites  were  allowed  to  rebuild  their  city  and  temple. 
From  this  time  until  its  destruction  by  the  Bomans,  Jeru- 
salem enjoyed  comparative  tranquility.  Forty  years  after 
the  Crucifixion,  the  Bomans  stormed  the  city,  massacred,  it 
is  said,  more  than  a million  of  Jews,  and  razed  the  temple 
to  the  ground.  After  that  the  city  never  regained  its  im- 
portance. It  has  been,  since  the  seventh  century,  in  the 
hands  of  the  Mohammedans,  though  many  attempts  have 
been  made  for  its  delivery  into  Christian  hands.  The  most 
notable  of  these  were  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries 
and  have  been  known  in  history  as  the  Crusades. 


LXXII. — THE  POWER  OF  ART. 

When,  from  the  sacred  garden  driven, 

Man  fled  before  his  Maker’s  wrath, 

An  angel  left  her  place  in  heaven. 

And  crossed  the  wanderer’s  sunless  path  ; 
’Twas  Art ! sweet  Art ! — new  radiance  broke 
Where  her  light  foot  flew  o’er  the  ground. 
And  thus,  with  seraph  voice,  she  spoke, — 
u The  curse  a blessing  shall  be  found 


THE  VfOELD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


221 


She  led  him  through  the  trackless  wild. 
Where  noontide  sunbeams  never  blazed ; 

The  thistle  shrank,  the  harvest  smiled, 

And  nature  gladdened  as  she  gazed, 

EarthV:  thousand  tribes  of  living  things, 

At  Art’s  command  to  him  are  given ; 

The  village  grows,  the  city  springs, 

And  point  their  spires  of  faith  to  heaven. 

He  rends  the  oak,  and  bids  it  ride, 

To  guard  the  shore  its  beauty  graced ; 

He  smites  the  rock,  upheaved  in  pride, — 

See  towers  of  strength  and  domes  of  taste ! 

Earth’s  teeming  cares  their  wealth  reveal ; 
Fire  bears  his  banner  on  the  wave ; 

He  bids  the  mortal  poison  heal ; 

And  leaps  triumphant  o’er  the  grave. 

He  plucks  the  pear  s that  stud  the  deep. 
Admiring  beauty’s  lap  to  fill; 

He  breaks  the  stubborn  marble’s  sleep, 

And  mocks  his  own  Creator’s  skill. 

With  thoughts  that  fill  his  glowing  soul 
He  bids  the  ore  illume  the  page  ; 

And  proudly  scorning  Time’s  control, 
Commences  with  an  unborn  age. 

In  fields  of  air  he  writes  his  name. 

And  treads  the  chambers  of  the  sky ; 

He  reads  the  stars,  and  grasps  the  flame 
That  quivers  round  the  throne  on  high. 

In  war  renowned,  in  peace  sublime. 

He  moves  in  greatness  and  in  grace; 

His  power  subduing  space  and  time, 

Links  realm  to  realm  and  race  to  race. 


222 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE* 


LXXIIL— TEMPLES  OF  INDIA. 

In  none  of  the  fine  arts,  except  architecture,  haye  the 
Hindoos  attained  much  eminence.  Their  paintings  are  of 
very  little  merit,  though  the  walls  of  temples,  of  palaces, 
and  of  the  better  class  of  private  dwellings,  are  often  orna- 
mented, at  great  cost,  with  pictures  illustrating  the  charac- 
ters and  events  of  their  mythology.  More  attention  has 
been  paid  to  sculpture  than  to  painting,  and  in  the  temples, 
cut  in  the  living  rock,  great  numbers  of  statues  are  contained. 

In  many  parts  of  Hindostan  splendid  monuments  of 
architecture  abound,  most  of  them  the  works  of  past  ages, 
and  many  of  them  of  remote  antiquity.  Such  are  the 
temples  at  Ajmeer  and  elsewhere,  some  of  which  were  built 
long  before  the  Christian  era,  and  are  distinguished  not  only 
for  size  and  splendor  of  ornamentation,  but  for  symmetry, 
beauty  of  proportion,  and  refinement  of  taste.  A wonder- 
ful example  of  the  rock-temple  is  found  in  the  great  mono- 
lith at  Kaloogoomulla.  A passage,  five  feet  wide  and  fifteen 
deep,  having  been  cut  into  the  granite  rock,  a large  block 
has  been  completely  detached  from  it,  which  has  been  carved 
into  a most  beautiful  shrine. 

The  story  goes  that  while  the  temple  on  the  other  side  of 
the  rock  was  in  course  of  erection,  the  son  of  its  builder, 
disgusted  at  the  slow  progress  made  by  the  workmen,  one 
night  suddenly  disappeared;  and  when,  in  the  morning, 
the  father  started  in  search  of  him,  he  found  that  he  had  in 
one  night,  alone  and  unaided,  constructed  this  temple. 
Enraged  beyond  measure  at  his  son’s  temple  having  so  far 
exceeded  his  own  in  beauty  he  struck  him  to  the  ground, 
when  the  god,  angry  that  any  one  should  suffer  for  having 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


223 


executed  a work  in  his  honor,  sent  a cobra  to  punish  the 
father;  but  the  son,  as  he  lay  on  the  ground,  seeing  the 
snake  coming,  seized  the  reptile  by  the  throat,  and  thus, 
though  dying,  sayed  his  father’s  life.  The  cut  in  the  rock, 
to  the  left,  is  formed  into  steps  to  enable  any  one  to  descend 
to  the  monolith  from  the  rock  above. 

The  Madura  Palace  is  composed  of  that  curious  admix- 
ture of  Saracenic  and  Hindoo  styles  of  architecture  which 
the  native  princes  of  India  very  generally  adopted  in  the 
seventeenth  century.  Though  deficient  in  harmonious  com- 
pleteness, and  wanting  the  elaborate  finish  of  the  Hindoo 
religious  buildings,  the  combination  is  singularly  pictur- 
esque, and  has  given  rise  to  forms  of  great  beauty. 

A new  white  building  has  lately  been  erected  by  the 
English  government,  directly  in  front  of  the  palace,  for  a 
Court  House.  The  two  towers  belonging  to  the  palace  are 
at  opposite  corners  of  a quadrangle;  and  the  domes  are 
those  covering  the  various  halls  and  cloisters  of  the  palace. 
They  are  surrounded  by  arched  galleries,  which  were  erected 
to  enable  the  ladies  of  the  court  to  look  down  upon  the 
pageantry  in  the  quadrangle  on  festival  occasions,  without 
being  themselves  observed. 

One  of  the  greatest  sights  in  the  city  of  Seringapatam  is 
the  Deria  Dowlut,  which  was  built  by  Tippoo  Saib,  about 
eighty  or  ninety  years  ago,  as  a sort  of  summer-house, 
whither  he  could  retire  when  wearied  with  the  cares  and 
troubles  of  his  government.  It  is  very  prettily  situated  in 
the  middle  of  a beautiful  garden,  through  which  flows  the 
river  Cauvery.  Some  of  the  corridors  are  extremely  elegant 
in  their  ornamentation,  and  are  remarkable  for  the  bright- 
ness and  harmony  of  their  coloring.  The  doorways,  both 
above  and  below,  are  entrances  to  the  large  rooms  that 
occupy  the  center  of  the  building. 


224 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


LXXIV.— FAMOUS  CATHEDRALS  IN  EUROPE. 

Eifty-four  out  of  the  two  hundred  churches  of  St.  Peters- 
burg are  of  the  Russian  Greek  faith.  In  general  they  pow- 
erfully attract  attention  by  their  striking  though  barbarous 
architecture.  They  have  generally  an  assemblage  of  five 
domes — a large  one  in  the  center,  surrounded  by  four 
smaller  ones — these  portions  of  the  edifice  being  in  most 
cases  gilded,  and  glittering  in  the  sun.  The  tall  and  slender 
bell-tower  is  often  detached  altogether  from  the  body  of  the 
church.  Sometimes  their  buildings  are  of  great  extent, 
though  they  usually  possess  neither  grace  nor  grandeur ; 
neither  symmetry  nor  majesty ; not  even  the  cheap  virtue 
of  magnitude,  which  in  architecture  so  lightly  covers*  a mul- 
titude of  sins. 

Neither,  when  you  enter  in,  is  there  anything  of  any  kind 
that  could  answer  the  demands  of  a well  cultivated  taste. 
Nevertheless  you  are  pleased,  or  rather  you  are  gratefully 
overwhelmed.  There  is  a massive  solidity  about  the  piers 
which  inspires  respect;  but  these  piers  and  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  walls  are  so  plated  with  burnished  metal,  and  so 
figured  with  rich  ornament,  that  you  stand  in  reverent 
wonderment,  and  feel  that  criticism  would  be  an  impiety. 
Before  you  rises  the  Iconostasis,  or  screen,  as  we  call  it,  tier 
above  tier  up  to  the  very  roof,  with  the  marshaled  history 
of  a whole  army  of  prophets,  patriarchs,  saints  and  apostles, 
and  especially,  of  course,  the  all-holy  Virgin,  blazing  with 
gold.  Then  casting  the  eye  round,  the  rich  storied  scenery 
of  the  walls  literally  deters  the  eye  from  all  attempt  to  follow 
out  its  significance. 

The  monuments  of  saints,  or  other  highly  worshipped 
personages,  generally  stand  in  the  corner  of  the  church. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


225 


In  two  long  rows  sit  the  various  priestly  dignitaries  in  the 
middle  of  the  church,  before  the  screen,  clad  in  vestments 
crisp  with  gold,  and  crowned  with  mitres,  in  which  every 
jewel  has  its  place,  venerable-looking  gentlemen,  with  long 
hair  parted  in  the  middle;  the  music— for  all  the  service  is 
chanted — if  somewhat  monotonous,  is  rich  and  pleasant ; and 
above  the  softer  notes  of  the  choir  is  ever  heard  the  deep 
heavy  boom  of  a bass  voice,  which  sounds  more  like  a gong 
than  anything  one  is  accustomed  to  hear  from  human 
throats.  Besides  music,  bells  of  course,  and  candles,  and 
genuflexions,  and  crossings,  give  character  to  the  service. 
Anything  like  our  sermons  exists  only  on  rare  occasions,  and 
in  very  dwarfed  dimensions;  but  if  the  understanding  is 
not  specially  addressed,  there  is  nothing  in  the  performance 
of  a nature  to  disturb  a devout  or  offend  a fastidious  wor- 
shipper. 

Among  the  public  buildings  of  Milan,  the  great  Cathe- 
dral is  the  most  remarkable.  It  is  the  largest  church  in 
Italy  except  one.  This  stupendous  marble  pile  is  486  feet 
in  length,  and  288  feet  in  breadth.  The  topmost  pinnacle 
is  355  feet  high.  It  is  built  of  white  marble,  and  is  prob- 
ably the  finest  and  most  impressive  Gothic  cathedral  in 
Europe.  More  than  five  thousand  statues  have  place  on 
the  walls,  turrets,  and  pinnacles.  The  floor  is  composed  of 
pieces  of  marble  in  different  colors.  Richly  ornamented 
galleries  connect  the  towers.  A winding  stairway  of  two 
hundred  steps  rises  to  the  roof,  diversified  by  a labyrinth  of 
pillars,  from  the  center  of  which  springs  the  majestic  dome. 
Large  glided  stars  glitter  on  the  topmost  pinnacles. 

Within  the  building,  the  character  is  that  of  a cheerful 
solemnity.  Perhaps  no  other  edifice  so  thoroughly  conveys 
the  idea  of  wealth  poured  out  unreservedly  for  the  service 
of  religion.  All  parts  are  finished  minutely  and  exquisitely. 
This  mountain  of  white  marble  is  never  more  beautifully 
displayed  than  under  the  glowing  sun  of  an  Italian  evening. 
From  its  varied  plan,  some  parts  are  always  in  light,  and 
10* 


226 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


others  in  shade.  When  the  pinnacles  and  statues  intercept 
the  yellow  beams,  they  come  off  sharp  and  dark  against  the 
brilliant  sky ; and  in  the  other  directions,  when  the  light 
streams  on  the  white  marble  building,  it  glitters  like  silver, 
almost  too  dazzling  to  be  looked  upon. 

The  first  stone  of  this  immense  building  was  laid  nearly 
five  hundred  years  ago.  Slowly  has  the  fabric  continued 
growing  in  beauty;  and  it  is  still  unfinished.  Since  its 
foundation,  work  has  never  been  suspended  upon  it.  The 
scaffolds  have  always  been  standing  in  some  part  of  the 
cathedral,  and  the  mallet  striking  and  the  chisel  ringing. 
And  the  work  will  doubtless  go  on  for  generations  to  come, 
as  it  has  during  centuries  past. 

The  Cathedral  of  St.  Paul’s,  on  Ludgate  Hill,  in  London, 
was  founded  in  1675,  and  completed  in  1710.  It  is  classic 
in  style  and  peculiarly  grand  in  effect.  While  St.  Peter’s 
at  Rome  occupied  nearly  150  years  in  building,  under 
twelve  successive  architects,  the  whole  of  this  church  was 
reared  under  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  its  designer,  and  by 
one  master-mason.  It  covers  two  acres ; its  length  is  510 
feet,  width  250  feet,  and  height  370  feet;  and  it  is  the  fifth 
cathedral  in  Europe,  in  size.  The  Portland  stone  of  which 
it  is  built  is  now  much  darkened  by  time  and  smoke;  and 
this  gloomy  tint  seems  to  accord  with  the  solemn  dignity 
and  grandeur  of  the  building.  The  faultless  dome  is  thrice 
the  height  of  the  roof,  and  contains  the  noted  “ whispering 
gallery.”  In  the  southwest  tower  is  the  great  bell,  the  dia- 
meter of  which  is  ten  feet. 

The  interior  presents  an  imposing  aspect,  though  dimly 
lighted,  and  not  so  profusely  ornamented  as  many  of  the 
churches  on  the  continent.  In  the  transept,  beneath  the 
dome,  the  feeling  is  that  of  wonder  at  the  unity,  majesty, 
and  sublimity  of  the  architecture.  In  the  cathedral  crypt 
are  the  tombs  of  Nelson  and  Wellington.  A marble  slab, 
in  honor  of  the  architect,  is  placed  over  the  entrance  of  the 
choir,  which  bears  an  inscription  signifying,  “ If  you  ask  for 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


227 


my  monument,  look  around.”  The  whole  church  is  a struc- 
ture of  simple  grandeur  and  is  a noble  monument  to  the 
genius  of  its  architect. 

Westminster  Abbey,  after  St.  Paul’s  the  finest  ecclesias- 
tical edifice  in  London,  and  one  of  the  best  specimens  of 
the  pointed  style  in  England,  dates  from  the  reign  of 
Edward  I and  Henry  III,  when  it  was  erected  on  the  site 
of  the  Saxon  Minster,  founded  by  Lebert.  Like  most 
cathedrals,  it  is  in  the  form  of  a cross,  though  somewhat 
irregular,  from  the  additions  of  chapels  and  cloisters  at 
various  times.  The  chapel  of  Henry  VII  forms  the  eastern 
extremity  of  the  cross.  This  contains  some  of  the  most 
elaborate  and  beautiful  tracery  work  and  designs  anywhere 
existing. 

In  Westminster  Abbey  the  kings  and  queens  of  England 
have  been  crowned,  from  Edward  the  Confessor  to  Queen 
Victoria.  In  the  south  transept  are  the  tombs  and  honorary 
monuments  of  great  poets,  whence  it  is  called  “ Poets’  Cor- 
ner;” and  in  other  parts  are  numerous  sculptured  monu- 
ments to  statesmen,  warriors,  philosophers,  divines,  patriots, 
and  men  of  eminence  generally,  many  of  whom  are  interred 
within  its  walls. 


LXXV.— OLD  EUROPEAN  CASTLES. 

Warwick  Castle,  England,  the  interior  of  which  has  been 
lately  destroyed  by  fire,  has  long  been  considered  the  finest 
relic  of  feudal  architecture  and  baronial  splendor  in  Great 
Britain.  Standing  on  the  classical  river  Avon,  and  built 


228 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


ten  centuries  ago,  in  the  time  of  King  Alfred,  it  witnessed 
the  long  struggle  for  the  possession  of  the  ]and  between  the 
Saxons  and  their  Korman  oppressors,  which  finally  resulted 
triumphantly  for  the  latter.  It  became  the  seat  of  the 
Warwicks  in  the  early  rule  of  William,  the  Conqueror. 

The  solid  masonry  of  feudal  times  was  more  fire-proof 
than  our  so-called  modern  city  structures,  and  did  not  yield 
to  the  flames ; but  the  iyy  which  mantled  the  castle-walls, 
the  ancient  and  magnificent  works  of  art  in  the  interior, 
and  the  relics  which  linked  it  to  the  scenes  and  struggles  of 
disputing  centuries,  have  been  destroyed.  Piles  of  armor 
and  suits  of  mail  which  did  duty  in  the  crusades ; portraits 
of  a long  line  of  illustrious  ancestry ; and,  not  least  of  all, 
the  celebrated  Warwick  vase,  which  was  once  a part  of  the 
ornamentation  of  Adrian’s  villa,  all  must  be  reckoned  in  the 
general  ruin.  The  castle  stood  but  five  miles  from  the  cele- 
brated Kenilworth  Castle  described  by  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
and  its  loss  is  one  which  interests  the  Christian  world. 

On  the  road  from  Turin  to  Cormageur,  in  Italy,  lies  the 
valley  D’Aosta,  and  on  an  eminence  therein,  close  to  the 
river  Doire,  may  be  seen  the  white  walls  of  Fort  Bard.  This 
military  position  is  celebrated  for  the  temporary  check 
which  it  gave  to  the  advance  of  the  French  army  under 
Bonaparte,  in  1800.  It  was  garrisoned  by  only  400  Aus- 
trians, yet  such  was  the  strength  of  the  position  that  Bona- 
parte almost  despaired  of  carrying  it,  and  a few  days  more 
must  have  starved  his  army  into  a retreat. 

By  a gallant  manoeuvre,  however,  in  the  efficient  place- 
ment of  a single  gun  above  the  precipices  of  Mont  Albaredo, 
which  overhangs  the  fort,  they  checked  the  battery  which 
covered  the  approach  to  the  town,  and  the  army  passed  by 
night  under  the  grenades  of  the  fort.  Another  gun  was 
raised  to  the  belfrey  which  commanded  the  gate  of  the  fort, 
and  the  Austrians,  fearing  an  assault,  surrendered.  Upon 
such  slight  occurrence  the  fate  of  Europe  turned.  As  the 
French  army  would  have  devoured  all  the  supply  of  the  Yal 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


229 


D’Aosta  in  a few  days,  it  must  have  retreated,  and  the  bat- 
tle of  Marengo,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  eyents  of  French 
^history  would  not  have  been  fought.  Within  a few  years 
the  fort  has  been  greatly  strengthened,  and  it  is  now  con- 
sidered inyulnerable. 

Bozen  a town  with  10,000  inhabitants,  lying  at  the  junc- 
tion of  roads  from  Germany,  Italy,  and  Switzerland,  is  the 
most  important  commercial  town  in  Tyrol.  It  is  delight- 
fully situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Eisack  and  the  Talfer 
riyers.  Most  of  the  houses  haye  openings  in  the  roofs,  cov- 
ered by  projecting  eaves,  to  admit  light  and  air.  Many  of 
the  streets  are  traversed  by  channels  of  fresh  water,  which 
in  summer  contribute  in  some  degree  to  mitigate  the 
oppressive  heat. 

A very  interesting  walk  from  the  town  is  through  the 
Sarnthal,  a little  valley  watered  by  the  Talfer.  A little 
way  up  the  valley  is  the  old  castle  Bunglstein,  with  its 
inevitable  white  walls  glittering  in  the  sun.  The  castle 
contains  a number  of  curious  mediaeval  frescoes,  relating  to 
the  legendary  poem  of  Tristram  and  Iseult.  Engravings  of 
these  frescoes  have  been  published  by  the  museum  of  Inns- 
bruck. The  structure  is  now  in  a dilapidated  condition, 
containing  a few  apartments  only.  There  is  a magnificent 
view  from  the  castle  tower,  especially  by  evening  light,  em- 
bracing the  valley  of  the  Sarn  a distance  of  twenty  miles. 

The  picturesque  and  renowned  castle  of  Chillon  stands 
on  an  isolated  rock,  surrounded  by  the  deep  waters  of 
Geneva  Lake,  but  within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  shore  and  of 
the  road,  with  which  it  communicates  by  a wooden  bridge. 
It  was  built  in  1238  by  Amadeus  IY  of  Savoy,  and  was  long 
used  as  a state  prison,  where,  among  other  victims  many  of 
the  early  reformers  were  immured.  The  famous  Prisoner  of 
Chillon,  described  by  Byron  in  one  of  his  best  poems,  was 
Bonnivard,  prior  of  St.  Victor,  who,  having  rendered  him- 
self obnoxious  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy  by  his  exertions  to 
free  the  Genevese  from  the  Savoyard  yoke,  was  seized  by  the 
Duke’s  emissaries,  and  secretly  carried  off  to  this  castle. 


230 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


For  six  long  years  he  was  buried  in  its  deepest  dungeon, 
on  a level  with  the  surface  of  the  lake.  At  length  the  Swiss 
freed  tliemselves  from  the  rule  of  Savoy.  Chillon  was  the* 
last  place  that  held  out,  but  was  at  last  compelled  to  surren- 
der, and  Bonnivard  was  set  free.  The  changes  which  had 
occurred  during  the  years  of  his  imprisonment  almost  real- 
ized the  legend  of  the  Seven  Sleepers.  He  had  left  Geneva 
a Roman  Catholic  state,  and  dependent  on  the  Duke  of 
Savoy;  he  found  her  free  and  a republic,  and  openly  pro- 
fessing the  Reformed  faith. 


LXXVI. — THE  PRISONER  OF  CHILLON. 

They  chained  us  each  to  a column  stone, 

And  we  were  three, — yet  each  alone ; 

We  could  not  move  a single  pace, 

We  could  not  see  each  other’s  face. 

But  with  that  pale  and  livid  light 
That  made  us  strangers  in  our  sight ; 

And  thus  together — yet  apart, 

Fettered  in  hand,  but  pined  in  heart ; 

’Twas  still  some  solace,  in  the  dearth 
Of  the  pure  elements  of  earth, 

To  hearken  to  each  other’s  speech, 

And  each  turn  comforter  to  each 
With  some  new  hope  or  legend  old, 

But  even  these,  at  length,  grew  cold. 

I was  the  eldest  of  the  three, 

And  to  uphold  and  cheer  the  rest,  v 

I ought  to  do — and  did — my  best. 

And  each  did  well  in  his  degree. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


231 


The  youngest,  whom  my  father  loved, 
Because  my  mother’s  brow  was  given 
To  him — with  eyes  as  blue  as  heaven, 
For  him  my  soul  was  sorely  moved ; 

For  he  was  beautiful  as  day, 

And  in  his  natural  spirit  gay  ; 

With  tears  for  naught  but  other’s  ills, 

And  then  they  flowed  like  mountain  rills, 
Unless  he  could  assuage  the  woe 
Which  he  abhorred  to  view  below. 

The  other  was  as  pure  of  mind, 

But  formed  to  combat  with  his  kind ; 
Strong  in  his  frame,  and  of  a mood, 

Which  ’gainst  the  world  in  war  had  stood, 
And  perished  in  the  foremost  rank 
With  joy;  but  not  in  chains  to  pine — 
His  spirit  withered  with  their  clank — 

I saw  it  silently  decline. 

He  loathed  and  put  away  his  food — 

It  was  not  that  ’twas  coarse  and  rude, 

For  we  were  used  to  hunter’s  fare, 

And  for  the  like  had  little  care : 

The  milk  drawn  from  the  mountain  goat, 
V/ as  changed  for  water  from  the  moat; 
Our  bread  was  such  as  captive’s  tears 
Have  moistened  many  a thousand  years. 
Since  man  first  pent  his  fellow-men 
Like  brutes  within  an  iron  den. 

But  what  were  these  to  us  or  him  ? 

These  wasted  not  his  heart  or  limb; 

My  brother’s  soul  was  of  that  mold. 

Which  in  a palace  had  grown  cold. 

Had  his  free  breathing  been  denied 
The  range  of  the  steep  mountain’s  side ; 
But  why  delay  the  truth  ? — he  died. 

I saw  and  could  not  hold  his  head. 

Nor  reach  his  dying  hand — nor  dead, — 
Though  hard  I strove,  but  strove  in  vain 
To  rend  and  gnash  my  bonds  in  twain. 

He  died,  and  they  unlocked  his  chain, 


232 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


And  scooped  for  him  a shallow  grave, 

Even  from  the  cold  earth  of  our  cave. 

I begged  him,  as  a boon,  to  lay 
His  corse  in  dust  whereon  the  day 
Might  shine — it  was  a foolish  thought— 
But  when  within  my  brain  it  wrought, 
That  even  in  death  his  free-born  breast 
In  such  a dungeon  could  not  rest. 

I might  have  spared  my  idle  prayer — 
They  coldly  laughed- — and  laid  him  there ; 
The  flat  and  turfless  earth  above 
The  being  we  so  much  did  love — 

His  empty  chain  above  it  leant, 

Such  murder’s  fitting  monument. 

But  he,  the  favorite  and  the  flower, 

Most  cherished  since  his  natal  hour, 

His  martyred  father’s  dearest  thought, 

My  latest  care,  for  whom  I sought 
To  hoard  my  life,  that  his  might  be 
Less  wretched  now,  and  one  day  free; 

He,  too,  was  struck,  and  day  by  day 
Was  withered  on  the  stalk  away. 

O God  ! it  is  a fearful  thing 
To  see  the  human  soul  take  wing, 

In  any  shape,  in  any  mood ; 

Tve  seen  it  rushing  forth  in  blood ; 

I’ve  seen  the  sick  and  ghastly  bed 
Of  sin  delirious  with  its  dread  ; 

But  these  were  horrors — this  was  woe 
Unmixed  with  such,  but  sure  and  slow. 

He  faded,  and  so  calm  and  meek, 

So  softly  worn,  so  sweetly  weak, 

So  tearless,  yet  so  tender,  kind, 

And  grieved  for  those  he  left  behind ; 

With  all  the  while  a cheek  whose  bloom 
Was  as  a mockery  of  the  tomb ; 

Whose  tints  as  gently  sunk  away 
As  a departing  rainbow’s  ray ; 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


233 


An  eye  of  most  transparent  light, 

That  almost  made  the  dungeon  bright. 
And  then  the  sighs  he  would  suppress 
Of  fainting  nature’s  feebleness ; 

I listened,  but  I could  not  hear — 

I called,  for  I was  wild  with  fear ; 

I called,  and  thought  I heard  a sound, — 
I burst  my  chain  with  one  strong  bound, 
And  rushed  to  him.  I found  him  not, 

I only  stirred  in  this  black  spot, 

I only  lived,  I only  drew 

The  accursed  breath  of  dungeon  dew, 

The  last,  the  sole,  the  dearest  link. 
Between  me  and  the  eternal  brink, 
Which  bound  me  to  my  failing  race, 

Was  broken  in  this  fatal  place. 

What  next  befel  me  then  and  there, 

I know  not  well,  I never  knew, 

First  came  the  loss  of  light  and  air. 

And  then  of  darkness,  too. 

There  were  no  stars,  no  earth,  no  time, 
No  check,  no  change,  no  good,  no  crime ; 
But  silence,  and  a stirless  breath 
Which  neither  was  of  life  nor  death. 

A light  broke  in  upon  my  brain — 

It  was  the  carol  of  a bird; 

It  ceased,  and  then  it  came  again, 

The  sweetest  song  ear  ever  heard ; 
And  mine  was  thankful  till  my  eyes 
Ran  over  with  the  glad  surprise; 

But  then,  by  dull  degrees  came  back 
My  senses  to  their  wonted  track; 

I saw  the  dungeon  walls  and  floor 
Close  slowly  round  me  as  before  ; 

I saw  the  glimmer  of  the  sun, 

Creeping  as  it  before  had  done ; 

But  through  the  crevice  where  it  came, 
.That  bird  was  perched  as  fond  and  tame, 
And  tamer  than  upon  the  tree — 

A lovely  bird  with  azure  wings, 

And  song  that  said  a thousand  things, 
And  seemed  to  say  them  all  for  me  ! 


234 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


I sometimes  deemed  that  it  might  be 
My  brother’s  soul  come  down  to  me  ; 

But  then  at  last  away  it  flew, 

And  then  ’twas  mortal,  well  I knew ; 

For  he  would  never  thus  have  flown, 

And  left  me  twice  so  doubly  lone. 

A kind  of  change  came  in  my  fate, 

My  keepers  grew  compassionate. 

I know  not  what  had  made  them  so, 

They  were  inured  to  sights  of  woe ; 

But  so  it  was ; my  broken  chain 
With  links  unfastened  did  remain ; 

And  it  was  liberty  to  stride 
Along  my  cell  from  side  to  side, 

Avoiding  only,  as  I trod, 

My  brothers  graves  without  a sod. 

I made  a footing  in  the  wall — 

It  was  not  therefrom  to  escape  ; 

For  I had  buried  one  and  all 

Who  loved  me  in  a human  shape, 

And  the  whole  earth  would  henceforth  be 
A wider  prison  unto  me ; 

But  I was  curious  to  ascend 

To  my  barred  windows,  and  to  bend 

Once  more,  upon  the  mountains  high, 

The  quiet  of  a loving  eye. 

I saw  them,  and  they  were  the  same, 
They  were  not  changed  like  me  in  frame ; 
I saw  their  thousand  years  of  snow 
On  high — their  wide,  long  lake  below ; 
And  then  there  was  a little  isle, 

Which  in  my  very  face  did  smile, 

The  only  one  in  view. 

The  fish  swam  by  the  castle  wall, 

And  they  seemed  joyous,  each  and  all ; 
The  eagle  rode  the  rising  blast, — 
Methought  he  never  flew  so  fast 
As  then  to  me  he  seemed  to  fly ; 

And  then  new  tears  came  in  my  eye, 

And  I felt  troubled — and  would  fain 
I had  not  left  my  recent  chain  5 
And  when  I did  descend  again. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


235 


The  darkness  of  my  dim  abode 
Fell  on  me  as  a heavy  load; 

It  was  as  is  a new  dug  grave 
Closing  o’er  one  we  sought  to  save. 

At  last  men  came  to  set  me  free, 

I asked  not  why,  and  recked  not  where; 
It  was,  at  length,  the  same  to  me 
Fettered  or  fetterless  to  be  ; 

I learned  to  love  despair. 

And  thus  when  they  appeared  at  last, 

And  all  my  bonds  aside  were  cast 
These  heavy  walls  to  me  had  grown 
A hermitage — and  all  my  own  ! 

And  half  I felt  as  they  were  come 
To  tear  me  from  a second  home  ! 

With  spiders  I had  friendship  made 
And  watched  them  in  their  sullen  trade, — 
Had  seen  the  mice  by  moonlight  play, 

And  why  should  I feel  less  than  they  ? 

W e were  all  inmates  of  one  place, 

And  I,  the  monarch  of  each  race, 

Had  power  to  kill — yet,  strange  to  tell ! 

In  quiet  we  had  learned  to  dwell ; 

My  very  chains  and  I were  friends, 

So  much  a long  communion  tends 
To  make  us  what  we  are  ! — even  I 
Regained  my  freedom  with  a sigh. 


LXXYIL— ADVENTURES  ON  A VOLCANO. 

The  volcano  of  Vesuvius  is  situated  on  the  shore  of  the 
bay  of  Naples,  and  rises  in  a single  cone-shaped  mass  to  the 
height  of  4,020  feet,  from  a base  about  thirty  miles  in 


236 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


/- 


circumference.  Its  first  recorded  eruption,  in  A.  D.  79, 
destroyed  the  cities  of  Herculaneum,  Pompeii,  and  Stabiae, 
the  uncovered  ruins  of  which  are  such  a scene  of  interest  at 
the  present  day.  Other  eruptions,  some  of  which  were  very 
violent,  have  taken  place  at  intervals  since  then. 

We  add  some  interesting  accounts  of  ascents  of  this  cele- 
brated volcano  during  its  eruptions,  made  by  Mr.  Babbage, 
and  afterward  by  another  Englishman,  and  recorded  in  a 
London  journal.  When  Mr.  Babbage  reached  the  summit 
of  the  cone,  the  sun  had  not  risen.  An  obscure  twilight 
still  prevailed,  as  he  and  his  companion  stood  upon  the 
irregular  edge  of  a vast  gulf,  spread  out  below  at  the  depth 
of  about  500  feet. 

The  plain  at  the  bottom  would  have  been  invisible,  but 
for  an  irregular  network  of  bright,  red  cracks,  extending 
over  its  entire  surface.  At  intervals  the  silence  was  broken 
by  the  upward  rush  of  a flight  of  red-hot  ashes  from  the 
diminutive  crater  within  the  large  one.  As  the  morning 
advanced,  the  light  increased ; and  some  time  before  sun- 
rise the  adventurers  had  completed  the  circuit  of  the  cr.ater. 
Then  followed  that  magnificent  spectacle — sunrise  from  the 
top  of  a lofty  mountain. 

The  two  explorers  had  brought  with  them  a supply  of 
ropes,  and,  in  their  tour  round  the  crater,  had  carefully 
marked  every  dike  of  congealed  lava  by  which  the  massive 
cone  was  split.  These  presented  buttresses,  with  frequent 
ledges,  or  huge  steps,  by  which  they  hoped,  with  the  aid  of 
their  ropes,  to  let  themselves  down  in  the  crater.  They 
were  compelled,  by  the  abrupt  incline  of  the  rocky  but- 
tresses, to  have  recourse  to  ropes;  but  any  attempt  to 
traverse  the  steep  slopes  of  light  ashes  and  fine  sand  would 
have  been  far  more  dangerous,  from  the  risk  of  being  en- 
gulfed in  them. 

Having  thoroughly  examined  the  several  disadvantages 
of  these  rough-hewn,  irregular,  and  gigantic  stairs,  one  was 
selected  as  offering  the  best  chances  for  the  descent  into  the 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEKEOSCOPE. 


237 


crater.  They  began  the  descent  by  two  ropes,  each  steadied 
by  a couple  of  guides.  The  adventurers  first  planted  their 
feet  wherever  they  could  find  a vantage-point ; then,  hold- 
ing on  to  the  rope,  sprang  down  to  the  next  ledge.  In  this 
manner  they  proceeded,  step  by  step,  until  they  gained  the 
last  projection  of  the  dike,  when  nothing  more  remained 
but  to  let  themselves  slide  down  the  long  steep  incline  of 
smooth  shifting  sand. 

They  accomplished  the  rapid  descent  in  safety,  and  Mr. 
Babbage  and  his  companion  found  themselves  standing  on 
the  burning  plain.  The  area  of  this  plain  was  perfectly 
flat.  Its  surface  consisted  of  a black  rock,  with  a network 
of  ditches  from  one  to  three  feet  wide,  which  crossed  one 
another  in  every  direction.  From  some  of  these  arose  the 
most  disagreeable  odors.  All  above  two  feet  in  depth 
showed  a bottom  of  dull  red  heat,  and  it  was  these  glaring 
heated  fissures  which  had  presented  the  extraordinary  spec- 
tacle described  above. 

At  one  end  was  a small  cone  from  which  the  eruptions 
apparently  proceeded.  On  observing  them  accurately,  it 
was  found  that  they  occurred  at  tolerably  regular  intervals; 
but  the  observers  were  compelled  to  maintain  a respectful 
distance,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  red-hot  ash-showers. 
During  the  ten  to  fifteen  minutes,  however,  between  each 
explosion,  Mr.  Babbage  was  able  to  make  a rush  toward  the 
opening  in  this  subsidiary  crater,  and  to  look  down  upon  the 
liquid  lava  seething  and  boiling  in  its  natural  caldron. 

“ Presently,”  he  says,  “I  observed  a small  bubble  swelling 
up  on  the  surface  of  the  lava ; it  became  gradually  larger 
and  larger,  but  did  not  burst.  I had  some  vague  suspicion 
that  this  indicated  a coming  eruption ; but,  on  looking  at 
my  watch,  I was  assured  that  only  one  minute  had  elapsed 
since  the  termination  of  the  last.  I therefore  watched  its 
progress ; after  a time  the  bubble  slowly  subsided  without 
breaking.  Another  swelling  now  rose  about  half-way  dis- 
tant from  from  the  center  of  the  caldron,  which  enlarged 


238  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

much  beyond  its  predecessor  in  point  of  size.  It  attained  a 
diameter  of  about  three  feet,  and  then  burst,  but  not  with 
any  explosion. 

The  waxes  it  propagated  in  the  fiery  fluid  passed  on  to 
the  sides,  and  were  thence  reflected  back,  just  as  would  have 
happened  in  a lake  of  water  of  the  same  dimensions.  This 
phenomenon  reappeared  several  times,  some  of  the  bubbles 
being  considerably  larger  in  size,  and  making  proportionally 
greater  disturbance  in  the  liquid  of  this  miniature  crater. 
I would  gladly  have  remained  a longer  time,  but  the  exces- 
sive heat,  the  noxious  vapors,  and  the  warning  of  my  watch, 
forbade  it.  I climbed  back  through  the  gap  by  which  I 
descended,  and  rushed  as  fast  as  I could  to  a safe  distance 
from  the  coming  eruption.  If  my  memory  does  not  fail 
me,  I passed  about  six  minutes  in  examining  it,  and  the 
next  explosion  occurred  ten  minutes  after  the  former  one. 
On  my  return  to  Naples,  I found  that  a pair  of  thick  boots 
I had  worn  on  this  expedition  were  entirely  destroyed  by 
the  heat,  and  fell  to  pieces  on  my  attempt  to  take  them  off.” 

The  other  ascent,  which  is  described  below,  was  made 
during  an  eruption,  where  crash  was  following  crash  in  a 
manner  that  was  sufficiently  terrible.  All  the  suffocating 
steams  and  vapors  were  being  driven  to  one  side  of  the 
mountain  by  a strong  wind,  so  that  the  adventurers  were 
able  to  go  up  from  the  windward  side,  stand  upon  the  lip 
of  the  crater,  look  down  into  the  roaring  abyss,  and  see 
what  a volcanic  eruption  looked  like  on  the  spot. 

The  spectacle  is  full  of  awe  and  majesty.  The  sudden- 
ness with  which  you  come  upon  it  is  quite  startling. 
Going  up  you  neither  see  nor  hear  anything.  One  moment 
you  are  clambering  up  the.  side  of  the  cone  amid  profound 
silence ; the  next  moment,  as  your  head  rises  above  the 
crater-lip,  you  encounter  a roar  and  a blaze  which  makes 
you  shrink  back  a little.  This  surprise  is  probably  oc- 
casioned by  the  formation  of  the  crater.  It  is  a huge  bowl, 
which  comes  up  to  quite  a sharp  lip,  about  half  a mile  in 
diameter  and  some  hundred  yards  in  depth. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THI^  STEREOSCOPE. 


239 


Toward  the  bottom  of  this  bowl,  on  the  opposite  side  to 
where  we  stood,  was  a great  hole,  from  which  all  the  pro- 
jectiles of  the  eruption  were  shot ; the  surface  of  the  bowl 
being  composed  of  lumps  of  laya,  stones,  and  cinders,  all  of 
them  smeared  with  sulphur,  precisely  like  those  upon  which 
we  were  standing.  As  you  mount  the  cone,  there  is  be- 
tween you  and  the  gulf  an  enormous  wall,  which  dulls 
everything  alike  for  eye  and  ear.  Even  while  on  the  steeps 
of  the  cone  itself,  you  might  be  unaware  that  the  mountain 
was  disturbed.  But  a single  step  seems  almost  enough  to 
transfer  you  from  the  most  deathlike  stillness  to  the  grand- 
est exhibition  of  force  it  is  possible  to  conceive. 

Instead  of  the  monotonous  dull  black  of  congealed  lava 
on  the  lower  levels,  you  have  the  deep  brick-red  of  stones 
that  have  been  under  the  action  of  fire,  the  brightest  ver- 
milion, and  every  imaginable  shade  of  orange  and  yellow 
that  sulphur  deposits  are  capable  of  taking.  The  ground 
is  hot,  too ; so  hot,  indeed,  that  you  cannot  keep  your  foot 
on  the  same  spot  for  many  seconds  together.  Between  the 
chinks  of  the  stones  you  can  see  that  a few  inches  below 
the  surface  it  is  actually  red-hot.  You  thrust  in  the  end  of 
your  stick  for  a moment,  and  pull  it  out  charred. 

Over  all  the  further  half  of  the  crater  there  hangs  a 
dense  cloud  of  smoke  and  vapor ; all  around  you  there  is 
an  atmosphere  of  sulphur  which  sets  you  coughing ; from 
numberless  small  holes  about  your  feet  there  issue,  with  a 
hiss,  sulphurous  jets  of  steam,  which  nearly  choke  you  as 
you  pass  over  them ; and  then  as  you  look  down  into  the 
actual  abyss,  you  are  face  to  face  with  the  most  appalling 
sights  and  sounds  which,  perhaps,  the  whole  of  Europe  has 
to  offer. 

Among  the  crowd  of  strange  sensations  that  are  expe- 
rienced at  such  a time,  the  sounds  are,  perhaps,  the  most 
wonderful  of  all.  What  meets  the  ear  is,  if  anything,  even 
more  terrific  than  what  meets  the  eye.  Even  to  sight  the 
eruption  is  not  exactly  what  the  imagination  paints  it  be- 


240  THE  WOBLD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 

forehand.  It  does  not  consist,  as  the  pictures  necessarily 
lead  one  to  suppose,  of  a continuous  shower  at  all.  Still 
less  does  it  consist  of  a continuous  shower  of  black  ashes, 
shot  out  from  a fire  blazing  on  the  top  of  the  mountain : 
it  is  rather  a series  of  explosions.  But  the  roar  and  glare 
of  the  great  abyss  is  continuous. 

You  look  into  the  pit,  and  though  you  see  no  actual 
flame,  yet  its  sides  are  in  a state  of  constant  burning ; from 
the  mouth  of  it  there  roars  up  incessantly  a dense  cloud  of 
steam ; and  in  the  depths  of  it  below  you  hear  the  noise  of 
preparation  for  the  outburst  that  is  next  to  come.  Then 
you  hear  a sharper  crackle,  and  then,  without  further  warn- 
ing, fallows  a loud  explosion,  which  shoots  into  the  air  a 
torrent  of  white-hot  missiles  of  every  shape  and  size.  So 
enormous  are  the  forces  at  work  that  not  only  small  pieces 
of  stone  and  sulphur,  such  as  - you  might  carry  away  as  me- 
mentoes of  your  visit,  but  huge  blocks  of  mineral,  each 
enough  to  load  a railway  car,  and  all  in  a state  of  perfectly 
white  heat,  are  tossed  up  as  though  they  were  so  many 
cricket  balls. 

The  explosion  lasts,  perhaps,  no  longer  than  a minute ; 
and  then  there  is  a cessation  of  some  seconds,  with  the 
noise  only  of  internal  preparation  once  more,  after  which 
the  explosion  is  repeated.  So  it  goes  on  again  and  again,  as 
long  as  the  eruption  continues.  The  noise  that  accom- 
panies the  shooting  upward  of  these  huge  stones,  which 
from  below  seem  to  be  thrown  up  in  profound  silence,  is 
something  quite  without  a parallel  in  ordinary  experience. 

One  of  our  party  said  he  had  been  shipwrecked  three 
times,  and  the  crash  of  the  waves  against  the  timbers  of  a 
helpless  ship  was  one  of  the  most  terrible  accompaniments 
of  such  scenes ; yet  that  was  nothing  to  the  almost  stupe- 
fying din  that  was  going  on  before  us — moments  when  the 
daylight  was  over,  and  the  world  could  no  longer  be  dis- 
tinguished— when  we  had  nothing  but  the  clear  starlight 
overhead,  and  were  truly  alone  with  the  mountain,  when 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


241 


the  varied  coloring  of  the  ground  had  disappeared  in  the 
darkness,  and  nothing  could  be  seen  but  the  gleam  of  the 
burning  earth  through  the  chinks  at  our  feet ; while  the 
white-hot  glaring  ribbon  of  molten  lava  glided  languidly 
down  the  mountain  at  our  side,  and  before  us  was  the  flash- 
ing of  the  inner  fire  upon  the  cloud  of  vapor  overhanging 
the  abyss. 


LXXVIII.— PALACES  IX  PRUSSIA. 

Berlin,  the  capital  of  Prussia,  stands  on  the  Spree,  a small 
stream  with  a sluggish  current.  Its  population  is  about 
700,000.  The  city  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a dreary  plain 
of  sand,  destitute  of  either  beauty  or  fertility.  It  is  sur- 
prising that  the  foundation  of  a'  town  should  ever  have  been 
laid  on  so  uninteresting  a spot ; but  it  is  far  more  wonder- 
ful that  it  should  have  grown  up,  notwithstanding,  into  the 
flourishing  capital  of  a great  empire.  Its  rise  and  increase 
date  not  many  years  before  the  commencement  of  the  last 
century. 

Previous  to  the  time  of  Frederick  William  I,  Berlin  was 
an  unimportant  town,  but  since  that  time  its  population  has 
increased  ten-fold.  Frederick  the  Great,  being  ambitious  to 
possess  a capital  proportionate  to  the  rapid  increase  of  his 
dominions,  at  once  enclosed  a vast  space  with  walls,  and 
ordered  it  to  be  filled  with  houses.  As  the  population  was 
scanty,  the  only  mode  of  complying  with  the  wishes  of  the 
sovereign  was  by  stretching  the  houses  over  as  wide  a space 
as  possible.  The  streets  are  therefore  broad,  and  generally 
appear  empty. 

11 


242  THE  WORLR  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

/ 

Berlin  has  been  justly  termed  a city  built  for  effect,  all 
that  is  beautiful  being  concentrated  into  one  focus.  Not- 
withstanding its  disadvantages,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the 
finest  appearing  cities  in  Europe.  Few  European  capitals 
can  show  so  much  architectural  splendor  as  is  seen  in  the 
colossal  palace,  the  beautiful  colonnade  of  the  new  Museum, 
and  the  University.  Most  of  these  buildings  are  situated  in 
the  street  named  “ Under  the  Lindens,”  from  a double  ave- 
nue of  lime-trees,  which  form  a shady  walk  in  its  center, 
while  on  each  side  of  it  runs  a carriage  road.  It  is  the  prin- 
cipal and  most  frequented  street  in  this  city.  The  view 
along  it,  terminated  by  the  magnificent  Brandenburg  Gate, 
is  scarcely  surpassed  even  by  the  celebrated  prospect  from 
the  quay  of  the  Louvre,  at  Paris. 

Among  all  its  public  buildings,  the  Royal  Palace  is  most 
conspicuous,  from  its  size  and  beauty  of  architecture.  It  is 
indebted  to  its  vastness  for  a certain  air  of  grandeur  which 
its  exterior  possesses.  Within  it  is  sumptuously  furnished. 
In  the  Rittersaal  (Knight’s  Hall),  a splendid  apartment,  is 
the  throne,  and  a sideboard  covered  with  massive  old  plate 
of  gold  and  silver.  Glittering  chandeliers  overhang  the 
table,  and  the  walls  are  covered  with  a profusion  of  orna- 
ments. Seats  of  velvet  await  the  honored  guest,  and  every- 
thing is  served  in  a style  of  royal  magnificence. 

The  picture  gallery,  on  the  upper  story  of  the  building,  is 
divided  into  numerous  small  apartments  by  screens,  extend- 
ing from  between  the  piers  of  the  windows  nearly  to  the 
opposite  walls.  The  Berlin  Gallery  ranks  below  those  of 
Munich  and  Dresden  in  the  number  of  celebrated  master- 
pieces and  works  of  first-rate  excellence,  but  it  has  this  par- 
ticular recommendation,  that  it  has  good  specimens  of  a 
greater  number  of  masters,  especially  of  the  early  German 
and  Italian  schools,  than  almost  any  other  gallery. 

Potzdam,  the  Prussian  Versailles,  owes  all  its  splendor  to 
Frederick  the  Great.  It  may  be  called  a town  of  palaces, 
not  only  from  the  number  of  royal  residences,  but  because 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE,  243 

even  the  private  houses  are  copied  from  celebrated  edifices. 
The  ht  ew  Palace,  about  two  miles  from  the  town,  is  a vast 
brick  building,  erected  at  enormous  cost  by  Frederick,  at 
the  end  of  the  seven  years’  war,  to  show  his  enemies  that 
his  finances  were  not  exhausted.  It  contains  two  hundred 
apartments,  and  exhibits  many  remains  of  gaudy  magnifi- 
cence, marble  being  lavished  profusely  on  the  walls  and 
floors. 


LXXIX.— PALACES  IX  SPAIX. 

In  beauty  and  variety  of  its  scenery,  Spain  falls  little 
short  of  Tyrol  and  Italy;  it  contains  some  of  the  finest 
buildings,  and  has  given  birth  to  some  of  the  greatest  artists 
in  Europe,  while  it  is  at  the  same  time  interesting  for  its 
historical  associations.  The  peninsula,  now  forming  the 
kingdoms  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  was  first  visited  by  the 
Phcenecians,  and  afterward  by  the  Carthagenians.  It  was 
conquered  by  the  Komans,  after  a resistance  of  two  centu- 
ries. During  eight  centuries,  the  Christian  princes  were 
engaged  in  continual  warfare  with  the  Saracens.  From 
this  state  the  country  was  delivered,  under  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,  by  the  conquest  x>f  Grenada.  These  foreigners, 
however,  left  their  mark  on  the  country  and  on  the  Spanish 
people. 

One  of  the  finest  relics  in  the  world  is  the  Alhambra,  the 
palace  of  the  old  Moorish  kings.  It  stands  on  a lofty  emi- 
nence, between  the  rivers  Darro  and  Jenil.  It  was  built 
by  Mohammed  II,  about  1273  A.  D.  It  is  surrounded  by 


244 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


a strong  wall  flanked  by  square  towers,  and  inclosing* an 
area  of  2,500  feet  in  length  and  650  in  breadth.  The  walls 
of  the  palace  follow  all  the  windings  of  the  mountain. 
The  ascent  to  the  palace  is  between  the  hills  of  the  Alham- 
bra, through  a yery  thick  wood  of  lofty  elms,  the  branches 
of  which  are  so  interleayed,  that  the  rays  of  the  sun 
never  penetrate  their  thick  foliage.  Innumerable  clear 
rivulets  glide  through  the  forest,  irrigating  the  ground, 
wdiich  is  covered  with  verdure,  or  fall  from  rock  to  rock, 
forming  a number  of  beautiful  cascades. 

At  the  palace,  you  enter  first  into  an  oblong  court  of  150 
by  90  feet  in  length,  with  a basin  of  water  in  the  midst. 
Hence,  you  pass  into  the  Court  of  Lions,  which  may  be 
considered  as  the  type  of  Arabian  architecture.  It  is  100 
feet  by  60,  and  is  paved  with  white  marble.  In  the  center 
is  a large  basin  of  alabaster  supported  by  twelve  lions. 
Over  this  basin  rises  another  smaller  one,  from  which  a 
large  body  of  water  spouts  into  the  air,  and,  falling  from 
one  basin  into  the  other,  is  sent  forth  through  the  mouths 
of  the  lions.  This  court  is  surrounded  by  a gallery  sup- 
ported by  a great  number  of  slender  and  elegant  columns. 
The  Avails  are  covered  Avith  blue  and  yelloAV  mosaics.  The 
ceiling  is  beautifully  ornamented  with  arabesque  and  fret- 
Avork  in  the  most  exquisite  taste.  Around  the  upper  face 
of  the  fountain  of  the  lions  are  some  Arabic  verses  which 
describe,  in  a style  of  Oriental  hyperbole,  the  wonders  and 
beauty  of  the  fountain. 

Over  the  entrance  to  the  Hall  of  Justice  is  inscribed  the 
folloA\ring  sentence : “ Enter,  fear  not,  seek  justice,  and  justice 
thou  shalt  find.”  This  hall  is  one  of  the  richest  in  the 
Alhambra,  and  still  possesses  traces  of  its  past  splendor. 
The  walls  are  richly  stuccoed,  and  ornamented  with  ara- 
besques of  such  exquisite  workmanship,  that  the  most 
skillful  artist  Avould  be  greatly  embarrassed  to  imitate  it. 

The  Escurial,  the  royal  palace  of  Spain,  was  erected  by 
Phillip  II,  in  1557.  Its  situation  is  rocky  and  barren,  de- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


245 


void  of  all  vegetable  matter,  except  that  conveyed  thither 
by  man,  and  appears  to  have  been  chosen  for  the  advantage 
of  procuring  stone.  By  a fantastical  conception,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  ideas  of  the  times,  the  ground-plan  was  laid 
out  in  the  form  of  a gridiron.  The  gardens,  which  are 
extensive,  and  the  parks  formed  by  art,  are  decorated  with 
fountains.  The  stone  of  which  the  building  is  constructed 
is  white  with  dark-gray  spots.  The  palace  contains  vast 
galleries,  ornamented  with  tapestry,  and  some  paintings. 
The  Escurial  is  probably  the  greatest  architectural  under- 
taking ever  conceived  and 'executed  by  one  man-  yet  in 
spite  of  its  colossal  proportions,  the  building  oilers  an  aspect 
by  no  means  imposing.  The  windows  have  been  considered 
too  small  and  the  projections  deficient  in  boldness. 

The  Boyal  Palace  at  Madrid,  a magnificent  building  of 
white  stone,  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  royal  residences 
in  Europe.  It  stands  on  the  site  of  the  old  Alcazar,  a 
palace  inhabited  by  Philip  II,  which  was  burnt  to  the 
ground  in  1734.  The  interior  is  decorated  in  a style  of 
costly  magnificence.  On  the  south  side  of  the  palace  is  the 
royal  armory,  which  contains  the  greatest  treasures  of  his- 
torical weapons  in  the  world.  The  building  is  470  feet  long 
and  100  feet  high. 


LXXX.— THE  ALHAMBRA  BY  MOONLIGHT. 

I have  given  a picture  of  my  apartment  on  my  first 
taking  possession  of  it.  A few  evenings  here  produced  a 
thorough  change  in  the  scene  and  in  my  feelings.  The 
moon,  which  then  was  invisible,  has  gradually  gained  upon 
the  nights,  and  now  rolls  in  full  splendor  above  the  towers, 


24  G 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


pouring  a flood  of  tempered  light  into  every  court  and  hall. 
The  garden  beneath  my  window  is  greatly  lighted  up;  the 
orange  and  citron  trees  are  tipped  with  silver ; the  fountain 
sparkles  in  the  moon  beams  ; a^nd  even  the  blush  of  the  rose 
is  faintly  visible. 

I have  sat  for  hours  at  my  window,  inhaling  the  sweet- 
ness of  the  garden,  and  musing  on  the  checkered  features  of 
those  whose  history  is  dimly  shadowed  out  in  the  elegant 
memorials  around.  Sometimes,  I have  issued  forth  at  mid- 
night, when  every  thing  was  quiet,  and  have  wandered  over 
the  whole  building.  Who  can  do  justice  to  a moonlight 
night  in  such  a climate  and  in  such  a place  ? 

The  temperature  of  an  Andalusian  midnight  in  summer 
is  perfectly  ethereal.  We  seem  lifted  up  into  a purer  atmos- 
phere ; there  is  a serenity  of  soul,  a buoyancy  of  spirits,  an 
elasticity  of  frame,  that  render  mere  existence , enjoyment. 
The  effect  of  moonlight,  too,  on  the  Alhambra,  has  some- 
thing like  enchantment.  Every  rent  and  chasm  of  time, 
every  mouldering  tint  and  weather-stain,  disappears ; the 
marble  resumes  its  original  whiteness ; the  long  colonnades 
brighten  in  the  moonbeams ; the  halls  are  illuminated  with 
a softened  radiance,  until  the  whole  edifice  reminds  one  of 
the  enchanted  palace  of  an  Arabian*  tale. 

At  such  a time,  I have  ascended  to  the  little  pavilion, 
called  the  queen’s  toilet,  to  enjoy  its  varied  and  extensive 
prospect.  To  the  right,  the  snowy  summits  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  would  gleam,  like  silver  clouds,  against  the  darker 
firmament,  and  all  the  outlines  of  the  mountain  would  be 
softened,  yet  delicately  defined. 

My  delight,  however,  would  be  to  lean  on  the  parapet  of 
Tecador,  and  gaze  down  upon  Grenada,  spread  out  like  a 
map  below  me  ; all  buried  in  deep  repose,  and  its  white 
palaces  and  convents  sleeping,  as  it  ivere,  in  the  moonshine. 

Sometimes,  I would  hear  the  faint  sounds  of  castanets 
from  some  party  of  dancers  lingering  in  the  Alameda;  at 
other  times,  I have  heard  the  dubious  notes  of  a guitar,  and 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


247 


the  notes  of  a single  voice  rising  from  some  solitary  street, 
and  have  pictured  to  myself  some  youthful  cavalier  serenad- 
ing his  lady’s  window ; a gallant  custom  of  former  days, 
but  now  sadly  on  the  decline,  except  in  the  remote  towns 
and  villages  of  Spain. 

Such  are  the  scenes  that  have  detained  me  for  many  an 
hour  loitering  about  the  courts  and  balconies  of  the  castle, 
enjoying  that  mixture  of  reverie  and  sensation  which  steal 
away  existence  in  a southern  climate,  and  it  has  been  almost 
morning  before  I have  retired  to  my  bed,  and  been  lulled  to 
sleep  by  the  falling  waters  of  the  fountain  of  Lindaraxa. 


LXXXL— GIBRALTAR. 

The  town  of  Gibraltar,  as  well  as  the  fortress,  promontory, 
and  bay  of  the  same  name,  belongs  to  Great  Britain. 
Originally  in  the  hands  of  the  Moors,  the  place  was  wrested 
from  them  by  the  Spaniards,  from  whom  it  was  taken  by 
the  English  in  the  year  1704.  Since  then  many  attempts 
have  been  made  by  the  Spaniards  to  regain  its  possession, 
but  ail  have  failed. 

The  promontory  is  a vast  rock,  consisting  principally  of 
gray,  compact  marble,  rising  from  1,200  to  1,400  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea;  it  is  about  three  miles  in  length,  from 
half  to  three-quarters  of  a mile  in  width,  and  is  joined  to 
the  mainland  by  a low,  sandy  isthmus,  about  one  mile  and 
a half  in  length. 

On  the  north  side,  fronting  the  isthmus,  the  rock  is 
almost  perpendicular;  the  east  and  south  sides  are  also 


248 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


steep  and  rugged;  but  on  the  west  side  it  slopes  downward 
to  a fine  bay,  nine  miles  long  by  four  and  a half  broad. 

On  this  slope  lies  the  town,  containing  a mixed  popula- 
tion of  16,000,  and  above  rise  the  principal  ramparts  of  the 
rocky  fortress,  generally  garrisoned  by  upward  of  3,000 
troops.  The  rock  abounds  with  caves,  some  of  which  are 
very  spacious  and  picturesque.  The  Spanish  lines,  which 
extend  across  the  isthmus,  are  defended  by  two  forts ; and 
the  space  between  these  lines  and  the  foot  of  the  rock  is 
called  the  neutral  ground. 

The  most  interesting  parts  of  the  place  are,  of  course,  the 
fortifications.  These  are  very  extensive.  From  the  signal 
tower  and  batteries  there  is  a magnificent  view.  The  cli- 
mate of  Gibraltar  is  temperate,  and  on  the  whole  healthful. 

In  summer  the  African  heat  is  tempered  by  a refreshing 
sea-breeze,  which  blows  from  about  ten  A.  M.,  and  ceases  be- 
fore sunset.  During  the  other  seasons,  however,  fogs  and 
mists  are  common.  There  is  a magnificent  tank  for  supply- 
ing the  navy.  It  generally  contains  from  9,000  to  10,000 
tons  of  good  water,  which  is  that  which  falls  on  the  moun- 
tain during  the  rainy  season. 


LXXXII.— BATTLE  OF  BEAL’  AN  DUINE. 

The  minstrel  came  once  more  to  view 
The  eastern  ridge  of  Benvenue, 

For  ere  he  parted,  he  would  say 
Farewell  to  lovely  Loch  Achray. 

"Where  shall  he  find,  in  foreign  land, 

So  lone  a lake,  so  sweet  a strand  ? 


THE  WQELD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


249 


There  is  no  breeze  upon  the  fern, 

No  ripple  on  the  lake, 

Upon  her  serie  nods  the  erne, 

The  deer  has  sought  the  brake ; 

The  small  birds  will  not  sing  aloud. 
The  springing  trout  lies  still, 

So  darkly  glooms  yon  thunder-cloud. 
That  swathes,  as  with  a purple  shroud, 
Benledi’s  distant  hill. 

Is  it  the  thunder’s  solemn  sound 
That  mutters  deep  and  dread, 

Or  echoes  from  the  groaning  ground 
The  warrior’s  measured  tread  ? 

Is  it  the  lightning’s  quivering  glance 
That  on  the  thicket  streams. 

Or  do  they  dash  on  spear  and  lance 
The  sun’s  retiring  beams  ? 

I see  the  dagger-crest  of  Mar, 

I see  the  Moray’s  silver  star, 

Wave  o’er  the  cloud  of  Saxon  war. 
That  up  the  lake  comes  winding  far  ! 

To  hero  bound  for  battle  strife, 

Or  bard  of  martial  lay, 

’Twere  worth  ten  years  of  peaceful  life. 
One  glance  at  their  array  ! 


Their  light-armed  archers,  far  and  near, 
Surveyed  the  tangled  ground, 

Their  center  ranks  with  pike  and  spear, 

A twilight  forest  frowned, 

Their  barbed  horsemen  in  the  rear, 

The  stern  battalia  crowned. 

No  cymbal  clashed,  no  clarion  rang, 

Still  were  the  pipe  and  drum ; 

Save  heavy  tread  and  armor’s  clang, 

The  sullen  march  was  dumb. 

There  breathed  no  wind  their  crests  to  shake. 
Or  wave  their  flags  abroad  ; 

Scarce  the  frail  aspen  seemed  to  quake, 

That  shadowed  o’er  their  road; 


11* 


250 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Tlieir  vanward  scouts  no  tidings  bring. 

Can  rouse  no  lurking  foe, 

Nor  spy  a trace  of  living  thing, 

Save  when  they  stirred  the  roe. 

The  host  moves,  like  a deep  sea-wave, 

Yfhere  ride  no  rocks,  its  pride  to  brave. 
High-swelling,  dark,  and  slow. 

The  lake  is  passed,  and  now  they  gain 
A narrow  and  a broken  plain, 

Before  the  Trosach’s  rugged  jaws : 

And  here  the  horse  and  spearmen  pause, 

While  to  explore  a dangerous  glen, 

Dive  through  the  pass  the  archer-men. 

At  once  there  rose  so  wild  a yell 
Within  that  dark  and  narrow  dell, 

As  all  the  fiends  from  heaven  that  fell. 

Had  pealed  the  banner  cry  of  hell ! 

Forth  from  the  pass  in  tumult  driven. 

Like  chaff  before  the  wind  of  heaven. 

The  archery  appear ; 

For  life  ! for  life  ! their  flight  they  ply ; 

While  shriek,  and  shout,  and  battle-cry. 

And  plaids  and  bonnets  waving  high. 

And  broad-swords  flashing  to  the  sky. 

And  maddening  in  the  rear. 

Onward  they  drive,  in  dreadful  race. 

Pursuers  and  pursued; 

Before  that  tide  of  flight  and  chase, 

How  shall  it  keep  its  rooted  place, 

The  spearmen’s  twilight  wood  ? 

“ Down  ! down  ! ” cried  Mar,  “ your  lances  down 
Bear  back  both  friend  and  foe  ! ” 

Like  reeds  before  the  tempest's  frown, 

That  serried  grove  of  lances  brown 
At  once  lay  leveled  low  ; 

And  closely  shouldering  side  to  side, 

The  bristling  ranks  the  onset  bide. 

“ We’ll  quell  the  savage  mountaineer, 

As  their  Tinchell  cows  the  game  ! 

They  come  as  fleet  as  mountain  deer, 

W e’ll  drive  them  back  as  tame.  ” 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


251 


Bearing  before  them  in  their  course 
The  relics  of  the  archer  force, 

Like  wave  with  crest  of  sparkling  foam, 
Right  onward  did  Clan-Alpine  come. 

Above  their  tide,  each  broadsword  bright 
Was  brandishing  like  gleam  of  light. 

Each  targe  was  dark  below  ; 

And  with  the  ocean’s  mighty  swing, 

When  heaving  to  the  tempest’s  wing, 

They  hurled  them  on  the  foe. 

I heard  the  lance’s  shivering  crash 
As  when  the  whirlwind  rends  the  ash ; 

I heard  the  broadsword’s  deadly  clang. 

As  if  a hundred  anvils  rang ; 

But  Moray  wheeled  his  rearward  rank 
Of  horsemen  on  Clan- Alpine’s  flank, 

“ My  banner-man  advance  ! 

I see,”  he  cried,  “ their  column  shake: 

Now,  gallants  ! for  your  ladies’  sake, 

Upon  them  with  the  lance  ! ” 

The  horsemen  dashed  among  the  rout 
As  deer  break  through  the  broom  ; 

Their  steeds  are  stout,  their  swords  are  out, 
They  soon  made  lightsome  room. 
Clan-Alpine’s  best  are  backward  borne ; 

Where,  where  was  Roderick  then  ? 

One  blast  upon  his  bugle  horn 
Were  worth  a thousand  men. 

And  refluent  through  the  pass  of  fear, 

The  battle’s  tide  was  poured  ; 

Yanished  the  Saxon’s  struggling  spear, 
Yanished  the  mountain  sword. 

As  Bracldinn’s  chasm,  so  black  and  steep 
Receives  her  roaring  linn, 

As  the  dark  caverns  of  the  deep 
Suck  the  wild  whirlpool  in. 

So  did  the  deep  and  darksome  pass 
Devour  the  battle’s  mingled  mass  ; 

None  linger  now  upon  the  plain, 

Save  those  who  ne'er  shall  fight  again. 


252 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


LXXXIIL— THE  CHINESE. 

'Tlie  great  empire  of  China  occupies  one-tenth  of  the 
habitable  part  of  the  globe*  and  its  area  is  double  that  of 
the  United  States.  Its  population  may  be  approximately 
stated  at  500*000*000.  About  one-third  of  the  empire  is  a 
level*  fertile*  and  highly-cultivated  country*  while  the  re- 
mainder is  studded  with  mountains*  which*  rising  higher 
and  higher  toward  the  interior*  ultimately  tower  up  in 
the  gigantic  glaciers  of  the  Yun-ling*  a prolongation  of  the 
Himalayas. 

The  rivers  of  China  are  her  glory*  and  no  country  can 
compare  with  her  for  natural  facilities  of  inland  navigation. 
There  are  tw~o  large  river  systems — that  of  the  Hoang-ho*  or 
Yellow  river*  and  of  the  Yang-tse-Kiang*  or  Blue  river. 
Of  these  the  latter  is  far  more  important  than  its  rival* 
since  its  tranquility  of  current  renders  it  superior  for  navi- 
gation purposes.  This  majestic  stream*  with  a length  of 
nearly  3*000  miles,  and  a breadth*  above  Nanking,  of  three 
to  four  miles*  is  the  main  artery  of  the  empire.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  boats  and  barges  continually  crowd  it. 

The  country  lying  between  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  and  the 
Hoang-ho  is*  by  its  fertility*  general  prosperity*  and  the 
high  state  of  its  inhabitants5  education*  the  most  influential 
p^rt  of  the  Chinese  empire.  There  are*  however*  many 
cities  of  importance  outside  of  this  district;  and  among 
these,  perhaps*  the  one  best  known  to  foreigners  is  Canton. 
This  is  a'  great  commercial  place*  and  is  situated  on  the 
Pekiang  river*  not  far  from  its  mouth.  When  viewed  from 
the  hills  on  the  north*  Canton  appears  to  be  little  more  than 
an  expanse  of  reddish  roofs*  relieved  by  a few  large  trees. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


253 


These  hills  rise  1,200  feet  above  the  river,  and  little  or  no 
vegetation  is  seen  on  them. 

The  circuit  of  the  city  is  about  ten  miles,  and  a part  of  it 
is  surrounded  by  walls.  The  houses  stretch  along  the 
river  for  four  miles,  and  the  banks  are  everywhere  nearly  * 
concealed  by  boats  and  rafts.  The  streets,  amounting  in 
all  to  upward  of  600,  are  long,  straight,  and  very  narrow, 
paved  with  little  round  stones,  and  flagged  at  the  sides  of 
the  houses.  The  temples  and  public  buildings  of  Canton 
are  numerous,  but  none  of  them  present  features  worthy 
of  special  remark.  The  houses  of  the  native  Cantonese  are 
generally  comfortable,  and  those  of  the  upper  classes  luxu- 
rious. They  are  made  so  as  to  admit  plenty  of  air,  and  are 
always  partially  surrounded  by  a verandah.  The  Chinese 
themselves  are  ready  imitators  of  European  art,  but  cannot 
appreciate  the  beauty  of  the  work  when  completed.  They 
show  great  appreciation,  however,  of  landscape  gardening, 
and  in  this  they  even  excel  the  Europeans.  The  houses  of 
the  wealthier  classes  are  surrounded  by  vegetation  in  luxu- 
riance. 

At  Macao  there  is  a larger  foreign  population,  in  propor- 
tion, than  in  any  other  city  of  China,  The  foreigners  are 
mostly  Portuguese,  and  they  comprise  fully  one-sixth  of  the 
inhabitants.  The  city  is  situated  on  the  island  of  Heang- 
shang,  and  is  built  on  the  acclivity  of  two  hills  around  a 
large  semicircular  bay.  Its  white-washed  houses  make  a 
very  pretty  appearance  from  the  roadstead,  but  the  streets 
are  narrow,  and  the  dwellings  of  the  natives  are  mostly  in 
a wretched  condition.  The  travel,  as  is  the  case  in  fact 
throughout  all  China,  is  entirely  on  foot  or  in  sedan-chairs, 
the  latter  being  used  only  by  the  upper  classes.  The  best 
part  of  the  town  consists  of  a long  line  of  well-built  houses 
on  the  beach,  in  front  of  which  is  a promenade  called  the 
Praya  Grande. 


254  * 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


LXXXIV.— SCENES  IX  JAP  AX. 

Tiie  Japanese  are  of  middling  size,  and  generally  of  a 
yellow  color,  though  some  are  brown  and  others  nearly 
white.  Their  eyes  are  small,  oblong,  and  deeply  sunk  in 
the  head.  Their  noses  are  short  and  thick,  and  their  hair 
thick,  black  and  glossy.  The  men  are  vigorous  and  active, 
and  the  women  well  formed  and  graceful,  while  both  sexes 
exhibit  a higher  degree  of  intelligence  than  is  common 
among  Asiatic  nations.  Society  in  Japan  has  been  carried 
to  a great  degree  of  refinement. 

The  manners  of  the  Japanese  men  and  ladies  are  as  cul- 
tivated as  are  those  of  our  own  country.  The  Japanese 
gentleman  is  invariably  described  as  a person  of  pleasing 
address  and  polished  manners.  The  rules  which  govern 
social  intercourse  are  formed  into  a regular  system,  and 
published  in  books  which  are  diligently  studied  at  school. 
Xearly  everybody  learns  to  read  and  write,  though,  beyond 
that,  little  is  done  in  the  way  of  education. 

The  dwellings  of  the  Japanese  are  built  of  wood  with  a 
thatched  roof.  In  the  interior,  the  matting  of  rice-straw, 
which  is  four  inches  thick,  renders  all  other  furniture  un- 
necessary. It  is  on  the  mattress  that  the  Japanese  sleeps, 
enveloped  in  an  ample  gown  and  a wadded  quilt,  with  his 
head  upon  a little  wooden  pillow.  The  mattress  is  the  table 
cloth  whereon  he  sets  the  lacquered  dishes  which  contain 
his  repast;  it  is  a carpet  for  the  bare  feet  of  his  children, 
and  a divan  when,  squatted  on  his  heels,  he  invites  his 
friends  to  squat  in  like  manner  and  give  themselves  up  to 
the  interminable  gossip,  with  the  never-failing  accompani- 
ments of  tea  and  tobacco. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


255 


When  night  comes,  the  screens  of  the  dwellings  are 
closed,  the  chambers  are  put  in  order  for  sleeping,  and  a 
single  lamp  is  lighted  in  a lofty  wooden  frame,  covered  with 
oiled  paper,  giving  hardly  more  light  than  that  of  the  stars. 
But  with  morning,  all  the  furniture  belonging  to  slumber 
is  taken  away  and  put  into  a closet.  The  screens  are 
opened  on  all  sides,  and  the  dwelling  is  swept  from  one  end 
to  the  other.  The  air  circulates  everywhere,  and  the  sun- 
shine falls  in  broad  bars  on  the  matting.  Then  during  the 
hot  hours  of  the  day,  the  house  is  again  so  thoroughly 
closed  that  it  seems  like  a gloomy  cavern,  and  becomes  the 
abode  of  the  most  absolute  indolence  and  repose. 

As  horses  are  rarer  in  Japan  than  in  Europe  and  America, 
most  of  the  travel  is  on  foot  or  in  sedan  chairs,  as  in  China. 
Heavy  burdens  are  generally  borne  by  two  men,  one  before 
the  other,  the  burden  being  fastened  to  a long  pole,  whose 
ends  rest  on  their  shoulders. 

Much  of  the  country  is  so  densely  populated,  that  the 
roads  connecting  the  large  cities  are  lined  with  houses  their 
entire  length.  Inns  occur  very  often,  and  are  there  called 
tea-houses. 

The  agriculture  of  the  Japanese  is  conducted  with  dili- 
gence and  skill.  With  the  exception  of  the  roads,  and  of 
the  woods  required  to  supply  timber  and  charcoal,  hardly  a 
foot  of  ground,  to  the  very  tops  of  the  mountains,  is  left 
uncultivated.  Irrigation  is  judiciously  applied,  and  manure 
of  all  kinds  is  carefully  collected  and  used  in  the  production 
of  generally  abundant  harvests.  The  grain  principally 
raised  is  rice,  which  is  said  to  be  of  a very  superior  quality. 
The  Japanese  machinery  is  of  the  most  primitive  descrip- 
tion. The  enormous  rice-crop  of  the  empire  is  hulled  en- 
tirely by  hand,  or  by  a rude  mallet  propelled  by  the  feet. 

The  people  are  passionately  fond  of  acting,  and  Japanese 
juggling  has  long  held  a world-wide  fame.  The  dramas 
are  generally  founded  on  national  history  or  tradition, 
or  the  exploits,  lives,  and  adventures  of  Japanese  heroes 


256 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


and  gods.  Their  general  tendency  is  said  to  be  elevating 
and  patriotic,  though  some  are  strongly  tainted  with  the 
national  passion  for  revenge,  and  have  horrible  exhibi- 
tions of  cruel  punishments.  Only  two  actors  are  usually 
upon  the  stage  at  a time,  and  the  female  parts  are  per- 
formed by  boys,  as  was  formerly  the  case  in  Europe. 


LXXXY.— SKETCHES  OF  RACES. 

The  study  of  the  manners  of  different  races  of  men  forms 
a delightful  and  instructive  occupation ; at  the  same  time 
it  is  exceedingly  comprehensive.  Great  diversities  neces- 
sarily exist  in  the  habits  and  characters  of  different  races. 
We  can  not,  of  course,  expect  to  do  more  than  introduce 
the  subject  in  our  short  space,  with  a few  of  its  most  strik- 
ing illustrations. 

In  Arabia  there  have  existed  for  many  centuries  a class  of 
people  called  Bedouins,  who  are  the  aborigines  of  the  desert 
and  the  descendants  of  Ishmael.  Their  essential  character- 
istic is  that  they  are  dwellers  in  tents,  live  by  their  flocks 
and  herds,  and  that  their  hand  is  against  every  man.  They 
are  ignorant,  fierce,  and  revengeful,  unscrupulous  in  honor 
or  honesty,  and  of  depraved  morals.  Their  greatest  virtue 
is  their  hospitality,  and  even  this  is  very  questionable ; its 
inviolability  has  been  greatly  exaggerated. 

In  personal  appearance- they  are  under  middle  size,  spare 
and  wiry,  and  capable  of  sustaining  great  fatigue  and  con- 
tinued exposure  to  the  fiery  sun  of  their  native  clime. 
Their  clothing  is  often  reduced  to  a single  garment, — a 
woolen  gown  bound  round  his  waist  with  a girdle,  in  which 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


257 


lie  carries  his  weapons  and  his  pipe.  The  better  class  wear 
a head-covering,  consisting  of  a handkerchief  folded  corner- 
wise,  or  a woolen  head-piece  bound  round  the  top  of  their 
heads  with  a cord.  Their  religion  is  the  Mohammedan, 
and  their  government  patriarchal. 

The  Indian  tribes  of  North  America  possess  many  pecu- 
liarities of  custom.  In  another  article  we  have  alluded 
more  particularly  to  the  great  mass  who  have  repelled  all 
efforts  at  civilization,  preferring  the  freedom  of  their  original 
state.  There  are,  however,  quite  a number  of  tile  race  who 
have  become  partly  civilized,  who  have  assumed  the  dress 
and  religion  of  the  whites,  and  in  a measure  have  taken  up 
their  occupations.  In  part  of  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin  the 
Indians  have  cultivated  the  soil,  and  in  this  way  and  in 
hunting  manage  to  derive  a subsistence.  That  they  are 
capable  of  further  improvement  is  a question  which  has  yet 
to  be  proved. 

In  the  Caucasian  race  is  found  the  highest  development 
of  mental  power;  and,  consequently,  those  countries  in- 
habited by  the  race  have  attained  the  greatest  degree  of 
civilization.  It  may  safely  be  said,  that  all  which  the  world 
knows  it  learned  from  Europe  or  America. 

The  customs  of  the  different  sections  of  the  Caucasian 
race  vary  greatly,  and  are  influenced  by  climate,  religious 
and  political  law,  inheritance,  and  a vast  number  of  minor 
causes.  In  America  there  is  a more  general  diffusion  of  in- 
telligence among  all  classes,  from  the  greater  liberality  of 
all  surrounding  influences.  Those  inhabiting  the  rural  dis- 
tricts are  generally  far  beyond  the  European  farmers  in  edu- 
cation and  methods  of  labor.  The  peasantry  of  continental 
Europe  are  more  dependent  on  the  richer  classes  of  the 
community;  while  in  America  it  is  to  the  farmers  that 
society  looks  for  support. 


258 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


*> 

LXXXYL— MOUNTAIN  AND  GORGE. 

There  is  much  that  is  beautiful  in  the  scenery  of  our 
country,  from  the  White  Mountains  to  the  yalley  of  Yo 
Semite,  with  which  we  are  yery  little  acquainted. 

There  is  no  more  interesting  resort  than  the  Natural 
Bridge  of  Virginia,  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  wild  scenery 
of  the  Blue  Ridge  region,  and  almost  under  its  shadows 
upon  its  western  side.  Passing  round  the  foot  of  a hill 
upon  a rapidly  descending  road,  the  traveler  suddenly  finds 
himself  upon  a narrow  track  like  a lane,  between  two  high 
wooden  fences.  From  his  horse  he  may  look  oyer  these 
fences  into  open  space ; but  nothing  would  suggest  to  him 
that  he  is  upon  the  great  Natural  Bridge  so  celebrated  in 
the  history  of  our  country,  and  associated  with  the  names 
of  our  most  revered  statesmen  who  have  visited  and  de- 
scribed it. 

A view  from  the  outside  of  these  barriers  down  the  deep 
gorge  is  necessary  to  open  to  him  the  sublimity  of  this  grand 
natural  structure.  He  finds  himself  suspended  over  the 
center  of  a narrow  chasm,  not  quite  100  feet  wide,  but  213 
feet  deep,  its  two  smooth  parallel  walls  of  stratified  lime- 
stone inclining  at  the  same  angle,  which  varies  but  a few 
degrees  from  the  vertical.  The  arch  is  of  such  irregular 
form,  so  that  a view  of  its  solid  dimensions  is  easily  obtained 
from  various  points  upon  its  edge.  The  thickness  of  the 
center  of  the  arch  is  40  feet ; toward  its  sides  this  thickness 
greatly  increases  with  a graceful  curve,  as  in  an  artificial 
structure,  conveying  an  idea  of  strength  and  solidity.  And 
when  its  breadth  is  found  to  be  fully  60  feet,  and  the  stone 
is  proved  to  be  of  the  most  substantial  character,  then  it 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


259 


becomes  evident  that  the  insignificant  little  stream  which 
now  runs  in  this  deep  gorge  has  had  no  agency  in  shaping 
and  producing  this  wonderful  channel. 

From  below,  the  bridge  is  seen  to  great  advantage  along 
the  course  of  the  little  stream  called  Cedar  Creek,  which 
flows  under  it.  But  away  from  this  gorge  it  is  not  a con- 
spicuous object  in  the  scenery,  as  it  does  not  rise  above  the 
general  level  around  it.  At  the  base  of  the  ridge  many 
names  are  carved  upon  its  steep  walls ; and  every  American 
has  learned  from  his  school  books  to  look  among  them  for 
the  initials  of  George  Washington,  who  is  said  to  have 
climbed  to  a good  height,  and  cut  them  conspicuously  upon 
the  rock.  Inquiry  at  the  spot,  however,  does  not  confirm 
these  early  lessons,  the  residents  near  the  bridge  having  no 
tradition  or  other  know  ledge  of  this  interesting  event  in  the 
life  of  Washington. 

Near  the  town  of  North  Adams,  in  Massachusetts,  there 
is  much  rugged  and  bold  mountain  scenery.  Here  is 
another  natural  bridge,  not  by  any  means  so  conspicuous  an 
object  as  the  one  we  have  just  described,  but  noted  through- 
out the  country  round  about  as  being  situated  in  the  midst 
of  scenery  of  great  beauty.  It  crosses  a deep  and  narrow 
gorge  and  is  almost  unnoticeable  in  the  confusion  of  rock 
and  foliage  around. 

One  of  the  wildest  and  most  romantic  spots  in  the  South- 
ern States  is  Lookout  Mountain,  near  the  confines  of 
Georgia  and  Tennessee.  Here  was  fought  one  of  the  hard- 
est contested  battles  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  Its  sum- 
mit is  clothed  with  a heavy  growth  of  trees  and  underwood ; 
and  in  a rocky  hollow  lies  the  beautiful  little  pond  called 
Lulu  Lake. 

In  the  White  Mountains  there  are  many  points  of  inter- 
est to  the  reader  as  well  as  the  sight-seer.  One  of  . the 
attractions  in  the  Pemigewasset  Valley  is  the  Flume  and  its 
vicinity.  There  the  traveler  can  thoroughly  enjoy  a day, 
and  taste  with  eye  and  ear  the  freshness  of  the  forest,  the 


260 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


glancing  light  t>n  a mountain  stream,  the  occasional  rare 
beauty  of  the  mosses  on  its  banks,  the  colors  at  the  bottom  of 
its  cool,  still  pools,  the  overarching  grace  of  its  trees,  or  the 
busy  babble  of  its  broken  sparkling  tide.  “ The  Pool”  is 
one  of  the  wonders  of  this  region.  This  is  a natural  well  in 
the  solid  rock,  60  feet  in  diameter  and  190  feet  deep,  of 
which  40  is  water. 

“ At  noon-day  here 

’Tis  twilight,  and  at  sunset  blackest  night.” 

If  this  was  hollowed  out  for  hlaiads,  they  must  be  of  a 
very  sullen  temper,  nymphs  of  the  Stygian  order,  that  love 

“ Some  uncouth  cell, 

Where  brooding  darkness  spreads  his  yellow  wings, 

And  the  night  raven  sings.” 


LXXXVIL— THE  PRAIRIES. 

These  are  the  gardens  of  the  desert,  these 
The  unshorn  fields,  boundless  and  beautiful, 

For  which  the  speech  of  England  has  no  name — 
The  prairies.  I behold  them  for  the  first, 

And  my  heart  swells,  while  the  dilated  sight 
Takes  in  the  encircling  vastness.  Lo  ! they  stretch 
In  airy  undulations  far  away, 

As  if  the  ocean,  in  his  gentlest  swell,  - 
Stood  still,  with  all  his  rounded  billows  fixed 
And  motionless  forever.  Motionless  ? 

No  ! they  are  all  unchained  again.  The  clouds 
Sweep  over  with  their  shadows,  and,. beneath. 

The  surface  rolls  and  fluctuates  to  the  eye; 

Dark  hollows  seem  to  glide  along  and  chase 
The  sunny  ridges.  Breezes  of  the  south  ! 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


261 


Who  toss  the  golden  and  the  flame-like  flowers, 

And  pass  the  prairie-hawk  that,  poised  on  high, 

Flaps  his  broad  wings,  yet  moves  not — ye  have  played 

Among  the  palms  of  Mexico  and  vines 

Of  Texas,  and  have  crisped  the  limpid  brooks 

That  from  the  fountains  of  Sonora  glide 

Into  the  calm  Pacific — have  ye  fanned 

A nobler  or  a lovelier  scene  than  this  ? 

Man  hath  no  part  in  all  this  glorious  work. 

The  hand  that  built  the  firmament  hath  heaved 

And  smoothed  these  verdant  swells  and  sown  their  slopes 

With  herbage,  planned  them  with  island  groves. 

And  hedged  them  round  with  forests.  Fitting  floor 
For  this  magnificent  temple  of  the  sky — 

With  flowers  whose  glory  and  whose  multitude 
Rival  the  constellations  ! the  great  heavens 
Seem  to  stoop  down  upon  the  scene  in  love— - 
A nearer  vault,  and  of  a tenderer  blue, 

Than  that  which  bends  above  the  eastern  hills. 

As  o’er  the  verdant  waste  I guide  my  steed, 

Among  the  high,  rank  grass  that  sweeps  his  sides. 

The  hollow  beating  of  his  footstep  seems 
A sacrilegious  sound.  I think  of  those 
Upon  whose  rest  he  tramples.  Are  they  here — 

The  dead  of  other  days  ? — and  did  the  dust 

Of  these  fair  solitudes  once  stir  with  life 

And  burn  with  passion  ? Let  the  mighty  mounds 

That  overlook  the  rivers,  or  that  rise 

In  the  dim  forest,  crowded  with  old  oaks, 

Answer.  A race  that  long  has  passed  away 

Built  them ; a disciplined  and  populous  race 

Fleaped,  with  long  toil,  the  earth,  while  yet  the  Greek  * 

Was  hewing  the  Pentelicus  to  forms 

Of  symmetry,  and  reaMng  on  its  rock 

The  glittering  Parthenon.  These  ample  fields 

Nourished  their  harvests;  here  their  herds  were  fed; 

When  haply  by  their  stalis  the  bison  lowed, 

And  bowed  his  maned  shoulder  to  the  yoke. 

All  day  this  desert  murmured  with  their  toils, 

Till  twilight  blushed,  and  lovers  walked  and  woed 
In  a forgotten  language,  and  old  tunes, 

From  instruments  of  unremembered  form. 

Gave  the  soft  winds  a voice. 


262 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


LXXXVIIL— SOUTH  AMERICAN  LANDSCAPES. 

The  whole  of  the  interior  country  of  South  America, 
north  of  the  Amazon  river,  is  a comparatively  unknown 
region.  There  are  few  parts  of  the  world  that  have  been  less 
visited,  both  from  the  difficulty  and  danger  of  travel.  Of 
the  descriptions  that  have  been  given  to  the  world  of  these 
regions,  none  have  conveyed  more  than  the  faint  impres- 
sions of  a hasty  voyage  through  certain  parts  of  the  country; 
and,  therefore,  they  do  not  comprise  an  accurate  nor  a 
general  picture  of  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants.  There 
are  in  New  Granada,  Venezuela,  and  Ecuador  many  towns  of 
a.  respectable  size,  of  which  little  is  known  beyond  their 
existence.  This,  however,  is  due  greatly  to  the  lack  of  com- 
mercial enterprise  which  precludes  their  taking  advantage 
of  the  country’s  natural  facilities.  Their  industry  amounts 
to  little. 

In  the  llanos  or  plains,  toward  the  Orinoco,  the  people 
are  wholly  occupied  with  the  rearing  of  cattle  and  horses. 
The  Llaneros  are  mostly  Creoles.  Agriculture  is  chiefly  in 
the  hands  of  the  converted  Indians,  who  evince  a decided 
predilection  for  these  tranquil  labors.  Manufactures  can 
hardly  be  said  to  exist.  Straw  hats,  carpets,  and  some  other 
articles  are,  indeed,  made  in  some  of  the  principal  towns,  but 
in  no  case  does  native  industry  satisfy  the  demands  of  the 
country,  and  nearly  all  the  manufactured  articles  in  use  are 
imported. 

The  cultivated  land  of  Ecuador  lies  chiefly  in  the  valley 
which  extends  along  the  summit  of  the  Cordilleras.  There 
are  few  haciendas  of  any  size  or  degree  of  cultivation  ; those 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Quitumvita  being  the  best. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


263 


The  population  of  Venezuela,  like  that  of  the  other  Span- 
ish-American  colonies,  exhi  bits  a singular  mixture  of  the 
Spanish,  Indian,  and  African  races.  Their  occupation  is 
mostly  agricultural.  In  the  cities  there  is  very  little  busi- 
ness done,  except  at  Caracas  and  Maracaibo.  At  the  latter 
places,  merchants  are  more  energetic  and  many  of  them 
accumulate  considerable  wealth.  The  country-houses  of 
this  class  are  models  of  comfort  and  convenience  for  that 
region. 

The  scenery  in  many  parts  of  these  regions  may  be  favor- 
ably compared  with  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  world. 
The  variety  of  the  plants,  the  richness  of  the  herbage,  and 
the  luxuriance  of  the  foliage  combine  to  make  a most 
attractive  scene.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  little  town  of 
Eio  Negro,  in  New  Granada,  many  of  these  features  are  pre- 
sented. The  mountain-road  winding  down  to  visit  the  vil- 
lage/passes the  rustic  tavern  around  which  graze  the  mules 
and  horses  of  the  llaneros  and  farmers  who  are  partaking  of 
the  rude  hospitalities  within,  and  overlooks  the  spires  and 
roofs  of  Eio  Negro  itself  in  the  distance. 


LXXXIX.— SCENES  IN  MEXICO 

Mexico  is  divided  climatically  into  three  regions,  called 
the  hot,  the  temperate,  and  the  cold  lands.  The  former 
comprise  the  coast  lands ; the  temperate  lairds  lying  at  a con- 
siderable elevation ; and  the  cold  lands  comprising  the 
mountainous  districts  rising  above  the  temperate  lands  to 
the  limit  of  constant  snow.  In  the  second  of  these  divisions 


2G4  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

are  included  all  the  great  centers  of  population  of  the 
republic.  The  great  wealth  and  dependence  of  Mexico  is  in 
its  mines ; and  though  under  a new  order  of  things  agri- 
culture and  manufactures  may  receive  greater  attention, 
still  the  abundance  of  minerals  is  so  great  that  its  mines 
must  always  constitute  the  leading  interest. 

The  minerals  chiefly  worked  as  yet  have  been  gold  and 
silver ; the  latter  predominating,  and  forming  the  principal 
article  of  export.  It  also  forms  the  greater  part  of  the 
national  currency.  From  the  conquest  of  Mexico  in  1521, 
to  the  year  of  independence,  1821,  a period  of  three  centu- 
ries, the  business  of  mining  was  in  most  respects  brought  to 
such  perfection  that  during  the  space  of  forty  years,  in  which 
it  may  be  said  this  branch  of  labor  has  been  open  to  the 
science  of  foreign  nations,  no  very  material  improvement 
has  been  effected  on  the  old  system,  except  in  the  introduc- 
tion of  steam-engines  for  clearing  deep  mines  of  water.  The 
kings  of  Spain  held  the  mines  of  Mexico  as  royal  property, 
but  any  citizen  was  allowed  to  work  them  by  paying  over 
to  the  royal  treasury  one-fifth  of  the  product  thereof.  At 
present  any  citizen  or  foreigner  can,  by  right  of  discovery, 
denounce  or  record  a mine,  and  obtain  the  right  to  work  it 
free  of  all  tribute. 

Mining  in  Mexico,  though  not  partaking  of  all  the 
exciting  characteristics  that  mark  the  occupation  in  Cali- 
fornia, is  yet  possessed  of  the  same  inevitable  features  which 
distinguish  camp-life  from  home-life.  The  mines  are 
usually  in  some  unsettled  district,  so  that  the  miners  are 
shut  out  from  the  world  and  form  a world  of  their  own. 
Some  mines  are  actually  walled  in,  though  that  generally 
occurs  only  in  isolated  instances,  where  the  mine  is  near 
some  town.  As  an  instance  of  this  we  may  mention  the 
silver  mine  near  Zacatecas,  which  is  surrounded  by  a lofty 
wall.  The  miners  are  as  a general  thing  negroes,  or  low 
whites,  and  are  ignorant  and  lazy,  forming  a contrast  to  the 
California  miners  who  are  ignorant,  but  active  and  indus- 
trious. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


265 


The  city  of  Mexico  is  the  capital  of  the  republic.  It 
occupies  a part  of  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  destroyed  by 
Cortes,  and  is  consequently  much  smaller  than  the  capital 
of  the  Montezumas.  It  is,  however,  a large  and  splendid 
city,  inferior  to  few  in  the  world  in  the  magnificence  of  its 
appearance  and  site.  There  are  many  public  buildings, 
some  of  which,  and  especially  the  cathedral,  are  unsur- 
passed on  this  continent. 

In  the  center  of  the  city  is  a great  square  paved  with 
marble,  and  covering  an  area  of  twelve  acres.  The  national 
form  of  religion  is  Roman  Catholic,  and  the  cathedral,  on 
the  Plaza  Mayor,  is  well  worthy  to  be  the  chief  church  of  a 
national  form  of  worship.  Some  three  miles  from  the  city 
are  the  ruins  of  the  Bishop’s  Palace,  which  was  destroyed 
by  the  United  States  army  during  the  Mexican  War. 


XC.— THE  CITY  OF  WASHINGTON. 

Washington  was  founded  in  1790  by  the  first  President 
of  the  United  States,  whose  name  it  bears,  and  was  occupied 
as  the  seat  of  government  in  1800.  It  is  a very  fine-looking 
city,  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Potomac  river,  and 
contains  many  beautiful  buildings,  most  of  which  are  occu- 
pied for  government  purposes.  Of  these  the  Presidential 
Mansion  and  the  Capitol  are  the  most  prominent.  The 
former,  generally  called,  from  its  color,  the  “ White  House,” 
is  m the  western  part  of  the  city,  and  is  surrounded  by  the 
War,  Navy,  Treasury,  and  State  Departments.  It  is  two 
stories  in  height,  is  built  of  freestone,  and  is  170  feet  long 
by  86  deep. 

12 


266 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Pennsylvania  avenue,  the  main  line  of  communication 
between  the  Presidential  Mansion  and  the  Capitol,  is,  for 
that  distance,  well  filled  with  buildings;  but  few  other 
streets  are  seen  without  frequent  spaces,  which  are  yet  to 
be  covered  with  houses.  The  Capitol  is  commandingly 
situated  upon  the  brow  of  a plateau  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
city.  It  is  surrounded  by  a beautiful  park  of  thirty-five  acres, 
containing  a variety  of  trees,  both  indigenous  and  foreign. 
The  walls  of  the  central  building  are  constructed  of  white 
sandstone,  and  those  of  the  wings  of  fine  white  marble, 
slightly  variegated  with  blue.  The  main  entrances  are  by 
three  eastern  porticos,  which  are  made  easy  of  access  by 
broad  flights  of  stone  steps. 

But  as  the  most  populous  part  of  the  city  is  in  the  rear 
of  the  Capitol,  the  most  usual  entrances  are  on  that  side. 
Exactly  in  the  center  of  the  Capitol  rises  a cast-iron  dome, 
surmounted  by  a bronze  statue  of  Liberty,  rising  to  the 
height  of  300  feet  above  the  basement  floor.  The  circular 
room  in  the  center  of  the  Capitol,  and  underneath  the 
dome,  is  called  the  Eotunda.  In  the  center  of  the  north 
wing  is  the  Senate  Chamber,  of  rectangular  form,  and  112 
feet  long,  82  in  width,  and  30  in  height.  The  ceiling  is  of 
cast-iron,  deeply  paneled  with  stained  glass  sky-lights,  and 
is  ornamented  in  the  richest  style.  The  hall  is  surrounded 
by  galleries  capable  of  seating  1,000  persons,  which  are 
reached  by  magnificent  marble  staircases.  The  Hall  of 
Representatives  is  larger  than  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  is 
highly  decorated  with  frescoes  and  paintings. 

The  library  of  Congress  occupies  a fine  room,  91  feet  long 
and  34  feet  high,  on  the  west  of  the  Eotunda,  fronting  upon 
the  western  park  and  the  city,  of  which  it  commands  a 
charming  view.  The  collection  now  numbers  upwards  of 
70,000  volumes,  exclusive  of  documents,  which,  to  the  num- 
ber of  80,000  volumes,  are  kept  in  separate  apartments 
Under  the  Representative  Hall  is  a fine  row  of  monolithic 
columns,  with  capitals  representing  the  tobacco  and  thistle- 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEKEOSCOPE. 


267 


The  24  columns  and  40  pilasters  of  the  Senate  and  Members’ 
Hall  are  entirely  original,  containing  imitations  of  corn- 
leaves,  tobacco,  and  magnolias. 

The  gilded  ornamentations  of  the  ceilings  and  cornices 
of  the  two  Houses  are  all  drawn  from  the  natural  produc- 
tions of  the  country.  The  grounds  around  this  fine  build- 
ing are  being  gradually  extended,  it  being  intended  that 
they  shall  reach  to  the  Potomac,  with  the  occasional  inter- 
ruption of  city  streets.  That  part  of  the  grounds  imme- 
diately in  front  of  the  Capitol  is  being  converted  into  a 
botanical  garden,  the  basis  being  a collection  of  plants 
brought  out  by  the  South  Sea  and  Japanese  exploring  ex- 
peditions. A striking  feature  of  Washington  is  exhibited 
by  the  great  hotels,  which  are  all  on  Pennsylvania  avenue, 
and  are  densely  crowded  while  Congress  is  in  session. 

Although  most  of  the  State  departments  are  clustered 
around  the  White  House,  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
forms  a notable  example  to  the  contrary.  This  occupies  a 
magnificent  marble  edifice,  in  the  center  of  the  business 
portion  of  the  city.  It  is  generally  known  as  the  Patent 
Office,  from  one  of  its  principal  bureaus,  and  is  built  in  the 
Doric  style  of  architecture,  having  a length  of  406  feet  and 
a width  of  275  feet.  The  saloons  devoted  to  the  models  of 
patents  are  altogether  1,800  feet  in  length.  The  building 
has  a conspicuous  front,  consisting  of  an  elegant  central 
portico  with  eight  massive  Doric  columns.  There  are  seve- 
ral magnificent  halls  in  the  Patent  Office,  among  which  are 
the  National  Gallery,  containing  cabinets  of  natural  history, 
relics  of  Washington  and  Franklin,  etc.,  and  the  Blue  Cor- 
ridor. 

One  of  the  noblest  institutions  and  finest  structures  in 
Washington  is  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  situated  on  a 
gently-rising  ground,  west  of  the  Capitol,  and  surrounded 
by  extensive  grounds  laid  out  in  gardens  and  parks.  It 
originated  in  a bequest  of  more  than  half  a million  of 
dollars  left  by  an  Englishman  named  Smithson,  “ to  found 


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THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


at  Washington,  under  the  name  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tute, an  establishment  for  the  increase  and  diffusion  of 
knowledge  among  men.”  The  building,  which  is  of  a red- 
dish freestone,  is  Romanesque  in  style,  and  is  450  feet  in 
length  by  140  in  width,  and  has  nine  towers  varying  in 
height  from  75  to  150  feet.  It  consists  of  a central  com- 
partment, 205  feet  by  55,  two  connecting  ranges  of  60  feet, 
and  two  wings.  It  has  a lecture-room  capable  of  contain- 
ing nearly  2,000  persons,  a museum  for  objects  of  natural 
history,  a library  capable  of  containing  100,000  volumes,  a 
gallery  for  painting  and  statuary,  and  one  of  the  best  fur- 
nished laboratories  in  the  United  States.  The  entire  cost 
of  the  building  and  grounds  was  $325,000. 

Near  the  Patent  Office  is  the  General  Post  Office  build- 
ing, a beautiful  marble  structure  in  the  Italian  palatial 
style,  which  contains  the  Post  Master  General’s  Department 
and  also  the  city  Post  Office.  It  is  in  the  Corinthian  order, 
three  stories  in  height,  204  feet  long,  and  102  deep,  contain- 
ing in  all  eighty-one  rooms. 


XCI.— 1 THE  DYING  GLADIATOR. 

The  seal  is  set. — Now  welcome  thou  dread  power  ! 

Nameless,  yet  thus  omnipotent,  which  here 
Walk’ st  in  the  shadow  of  the  midnight  hour, 

With  a deep  awe,  yet  all  distinct  from  fear; 

Thy  haunts  are  ever  where  the  dead  walls  rear 
Their  ivy  mantles,  and  the  solemn  scene 
Derives  from  thee  a sense  so  deep  and  clear, 

That  we  become  a part  of  what  has  been, 

And  grow  unto  the  spot,  all  seeing,  but  unseen. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


269 


And  here  the  buzz  of  eager  nations  ran, 

In  murmured  pity  or  loud-roared  applause, 

As  man  was  slaughtered  by  his  fellow-man. 

And  wherefore  slaughtered  ? wherefore,  but  because 
Such  were  the  bloody  circus’  genial  laws, 

And  the  imperial  pleasure.  Wherefore  not? 

What  matters  where  we  fall  to  fill  the  maws 
Of  worms — on  battle-plain  or  listed  spot  ? 

Both  are  but  theaters  where  the  chief  actors  rot. 

I see  before  me  the  gladiator  lie : 

He  leans  upon  his  hand  ; his  manly  brow 
Consents  to  death,  but  conquers  agony. 

And  his  drooped  head  sinks  gradually  low ; 

And  through  his  side  the  last  drops  ebbing  slow 
From  the  red  gash,  fall  heavy,  one  by  one, 

Like  the  first  of  a thunder  shower ; and  now 
The  arena  swims  around  him : lie  is  gone, 

Ere  ceased  the  inhuman  shout  which  hailed  the  wretch  who  won 

He  heard  it,  but  he  heeded  not ; his  eyes 
Were  with  his  heart,  and  that  was  far  away: 

He  recked  not  of  the  life  he  lost,  nor  prize . 

But  where  his  rude  hut  by  the  Danube  lay, 

There  were  his  young  barbarians  all  at  play ; 

There  was  their  Dacian  mother — he,  their  sire, 

Butchered  to  make  a Roman  holiday. 

All  this  rushed  with  his  blood.  Shall  he  expire, 

And  unavenged  ? Arise,  ye  Goths,  and  glut  your  ire  ! 


XCIL— STATUES  AND  STATUE-MAKING. 

Statues  made  of  marble  and  of  bronze,  each  require  an 
entirely  different  process.  Bronze  statues  are  cast ; marble 
statues  are  chiseled.  The  mere  cost  and  labor  of  making 


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THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


either  is  far  greater  than  is  supposed.  When  an  artist 
thinks  of  executing  a statue  in  marble,  his  first  step  is 
usually  to  make  a drawing  of  what  he  has  planned.  No 
one  who  has  not  studied  sculpture  can  realize  the  arduous 
problems  involved  in  this  operation.  A line  out  of  place, 
a curve  too  hastily  drawn,  and  the  effect  of  the  whole  work 
may  be  marred. 

After  the  work  of  sketching  has  been  happily  ended,  the 
sculptor  begins  modeling,  either  in  clay  or  wax,  one  or 
more  miniatures  of  the  statue,  and  has  them  cast  in  plaster. 
Too  frequently  he  finds  that  the  figure  which  looked  so 
well  on  paper  will  not  do  for  a statue,  and  that  the  whole 
course  of  planning  and  sketching  must  be  gone  through 
again.  Canova  is  said  to  have  been  so  discouraged  by  the 
result  of  his  first  attempt  at  modeling  as  to  have  exclaimed 
“ that  moulding  pats  of  butter  was  all  he  should  ever  be  fit 
for.” 

When  the  sculptor  has  obtained  a miniature  that  satisfies 
him,  and  has  got  a plaster  cast  of  it,  he  sets  to  work  again 
with  his  clay,  and  fashions  another  model  of  the  exact  size 
of  his  proposed  statue.  Of  this,  a new  plaster  cast  is  taken, 
while  the  clay  is  still  moist,  and  the  artist  can  at  last  judge 
of  the  effect  of  his  future  statue,  for  this  plaster  cast  is  the 
exact  prototype  of  it.  He  can  fold  his  arms,  too,  for  a 
while,  since  the  next  steps  to  be  taken  do  not  concern  him, 
but  are  the  business  of  another  artist,  known  technically 
as  the  “ statuary.” 

The  “ statuary,”  who  is  often  an  artist  of  as  much  talent 
in  his  way  as  the  sculptor  in  his,  sets  the  plaster  model  on 
a platform,  measures  it,  and  places  it  side  by  side  with  a 
block  of  marble  of  the  requisite  height  and  width.  This 
done,  he  applies  to  the  model  an  instrument  of  mathemati- 
cal precision,  by  which  he  obtains  the  detailed  measure  of 
every  part  and  angle  of  the  statue.  Keturning  to  the 
marble,  he  roughly  sketches  on  the  outside  of  it,  by  means 
of  points,  a sort  of  outline  of  the  figure  or  group.  Upon 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


271 


each  of  the  spots  where  he  has  marked  a point  with  his 
pencil,  a workman  carefully  bores  a hole  with  an  awl ; and 
when  all  the  holes  have  been  bored  according  to  direction, 
the  marble  looks  as  though  it  had  been  riddled  with  bullets. 
A second  workman  now  appears  with  a chisel  and  hammer 
to  hew  away  the  fragments  of  marble  between  the  different 
holes  and  along  the  pencil  lines. 

This  work  is  more  or  less  easy,  according  as  the  attitude 
of  the  statue  is  simple  or  fanciful.  The  • appearance  pre- 
sented by  the  marble  when  the  preparatory  hewing  is 
ended  is  that  of  some  person  or  persons  thickly  wrapped 
in  a shroud.  The  outlines  of  head  and  body  can  be  vaguely 
detected  under  the  white  covering,  but  nothing  more ; and 
it  is  not  until  the  statuary  himself  has  set  to  work  with 
his  finer  chisel  and  more  delicate  hand,  that  a tangible 
form  begins  to  emerge  from  the  hard  mass.  First,  the 
head,  then  the  shoulders  and  trunk,  then  the  legs,  and  then 
the  arms  and  hands  appear. 

When  the  statue  is  handed  over  again  to  the  sculptor, 
that  he  may  give  the  final  touches  to  it,  there  remains  but 
little  for  him  to  do,  except  to  bestow  upon  it  enough  finish- 
ing labor  to  entitle  it  to  be  called  his  own.  For  this 
the  most  delicate  of  tools  are  employed;  slender  chisels 
with  the  finest  points ; toy  hammers  with  scarcely  a weight 
to  them ; little  graters  that  fit  on,  something  like  thimbles, 
to  the  top  of  the  forefinger;  and  to  polish  the  marble  and 
smooth  it,  tripoli,  lead,  chamois-leather,  sand-paper,  sponges 
steeped  in  oil,  and  the  palm  of  the  hand  are  used. 

In  bronze  sculpture  the  preliminaries,  as  regards  sketch- 
ing and  modeling  are  identical.  When  a clay  model  is 
finished,  it  is  not  cast  in  plaster,  but  is  covered  with  a 
coating  of  wax  of  the  intended  thickness  of  the  metal.  A 
peculiar  preparation  is  wetted  to  form  a paste,  which  is 
thickly  plastered  .on  the  wax  coating,  and  set  in  a warm 
place  to  dry.  When  the  drying  is  completed,  the  wax  be- 
tween the  interior  of  the  mould  and  the  outside  of  the 


272 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


model  is  slowly  melted  by  fire.  By  a most  tedious  and 
painstaking  process  the  melted  brass  is  then  poured  into 
the  space  lately  occupied  by  the  wax,  and  the  statue  is 
cast. 


XCIXL— 1 THE  SCULPTOR  BOY. 

Chisel  in  hand  stood  a sculptor  boy, 

With  his  marble  block  before  him ; 

And  his  face  lit  up  with  a smile  of  joy, 

As  an  angel  dream  passed  o’er  him. 

He  carved  that  dream  on  the  yielding  stone, 
With  many  a sharp  incision ; 

In  heaven’s  own  light  the  sculptor  shone,— 
He  had  caught  that  angel  vision. 

Sculptors  of  life  are  we,  as  we  stand 
With  our  lives  uncarved  before  us, 

Waiting  the  hour,  when,  at  God’s  command. 
Our  life-dream  passes  o’er  us. 

Let  us  carve  it,  then,  on  the  yielding  stone. 
With  many  a sharp  incision ; — 

Its  heavenly  beauty  shall  be  our  own, — 

Our  lives,  that  angel  vision. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


273 


XCIV.— MONUMENTS  OF  PARIS. 

The  Place  Vendome  was  begun  in  1699.  The  buildings 
are  uniformly  of  the  Corinthian  order  of  architecture.  In 
the  middle  formerly  stood  a colossal  equestrian  statue  of 
Louis  XIV,  in  bronze,  which  was  demolished  in  1792.  The 
mutilated  pedestal  was  replaced  in  1806  by  the  Colonne 
Vendome,  erected  by  Napoleon  to  commemorate  his  success 
in  the  German  campaign  of  1805.  This  column,  135  feet 
high  by  12  in  diameter,  was  an  imitation  of  the  pillar  of 
Trajan  at  Rome,  on  a somewhat  larger  scale.  The  pedestal 
and  shaft  were  of  stone,  covered  with  bronze  bas-reliefs  (fan- 
ciful mouldings)  cast  out  of  200  pieces  of  Austrian  and 
Russian  cannon.  Four  eagles  stood  at  the  corners  of  the 
pedestal,  supporting  wreaths  of  oak.  The  spiral  bas-reliefs 
of  the  shaft  displayed  in  order  the  principal  actions,  from 
the  departure  of  the  troops  from  Boulogne  to  the  battle  of 
Austerlitz.  The  figures,  2,000  in  number,  were  three  feet 
high;  the  length  of  the  scroll,  840  feet;  a spiral  thread 
divided  the  lines  and  bore  the  names  of  the  actions  repre- 
sented. Above  the  capital  was  a gallery  approached  by  a 
winding  staircase  of  176  steps.  The  column  stood  upon  a 
base  of  polished  granite,  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing. 

The  Place  de  l'Etoile  is  a vast  circular  space  in  one  of 
the  most  fashionable  quarters  of  Paris.  It  is  partly  sur- 
rounded by  a series  of  elegant  houses  of  uniform  design. 
From  the  Place  twelve  magnificent  avenues  branch  out  in 
different  directions.  In  the  center  rises  the  Arc  de  Tri- 
omphe.  The  idea  of  this  proud  monument  originated  with 
Napoleon,  who  decreed  its  erection  in  1806.  In  1814  the 
works  were  entirely  suspended,  until,  in  1823,  after  the 
12* 


274 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


campaign  of  the  Duke  d’Angouleme  in  Spain,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  finish  the  arch  in  honor  of  his  victories.  The 
whole  was  not  completed  until  1836. 

The  monument  consists  of  a vast  central  arch,  90  feet  in 
height  by  45  feet  in  width,  over  which  the  massive  stone- 
work rises  considerably  higher.  Each  pier  of  the  principal 
fronts  is  ornamented  with  a projecting  pedestal,  supporting 
groups  of  figures  in  sharp  relief.  The  northern  pier  of  the 
eastern  front  bears  a group  representing  the  departure  of 
the  army  in  1792;  the  Genius  of  War  summons  the  nation 
to  arms.  The  dimensions  of  this  and  the  other  groups  are 
in  total  height  36  feet,  and  each  figure  18  feet.  The  next 
group  represents  the  triumph  of  1810,  Victory  crowning 
Napoleon.  Fame  surmounts  the  whole,  and  History  re- 
cords his  deeds;  vanquished  towns  are  at  his  feet. 

The  groups  on  the  other  arches  represent  the  conquests 
of  the  armies  of  the  North,  East,  West,  and  South ; the 
names  of  the  generals  are  placed  beneath,  numbering  alto- 
gether 384.  Winding  staircases  in  the  interior  of  the  two 
eastern  piers  lead  to  several  halls.  From  the  platform  at 
the  top  of  the  arch  one  of  the  finest  views  of  Paris  and  its 
environs  may  be  enjoyed. 

Place  de  la  Concorde  was,  until  the  reign  of  Louis  XV, 
a waste,  irregular  space.  After  the  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle, 
the  city  obtained  leave  of  .the  king  to  form  a square  here, 
adorned  with  a statue  in  his  honor.  The  works  were  not 
finished  until  1772.  In  the  middle' stood  a bronze  equestrian 
statue  of  Louis  in  a Roman  costume.  This  was  destroyed, 
and  followed  by  several  other  monuments,  which  followed 
its  fate  in  the  revolutions.  The  present  column  was  fin- 
ished in  1836,  and  stands  outside  of  the  square,  so-called, 
and  in  one  corner  of  the  Place. 

The  square  itself  is  enclosed  with  balustrades,  along 
which  are  placed  120  ornamental  lamp-posts.  In  the  center 
stands  the  Obelisk  of  Luxor.  This  magnificent  relic  of 
Ancient  Egypt  is  one  of  the  two  obelisks  that  stood  in  front 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


275 


of  the  great  temple  of  Thebes,  where  they  were  erected 
1,550  years  before*  Christ.  It  was  given  to  France  by  the 
Viceroy  of  Egypt.  It  is  covered  on  each  face  with  three 
lines  of  hieroglyphic  inscriptions,  containing  1,600  charac- 
ters. 

On  either  side  of  this  venerable  monument  are  two  foun- 
tains, 80  feet  in  diameter,  out  of  which  rise  two  smaller 
basins,  the  upper  one  being  inverted.  Six  figures,  nine  feet 
in  height,  are  seated  around  it,  with  their  feet  on  the  prows 
of  vessels,  and  separated  from  each  other  by  spouting  dol- 
phins. Six  larger  dolphins,  held  by  as  many  Tritons  and 
Nereids,  sporting  in  the  large  and  highly  ornamental  basin 
below,  spout  water  into  the  second  one. 

The  Bastile,  the  famous  prison  of  France,  was  attacked 
and  captured  by  the  jeople  in  the  revolution  of  1789.  Its 
site  now  forms  the  1 lace  de  la  Bastile.  In  the  center  of  the 
place  the  construction  of  a fountain  was  begun  by  order  of 
Napoleon,  but  was  afterwards  abandoned.  On  the  site  of 
this  fountain  now  stands  the  Column  of  July,  its  pedestal 
standing  immediately  on  a basement  of  white  marble,  sup- 
ported by  blocks  of  granite.  Surmounting  the  capital  is  a 
gilt  globe,  and  on  it  stands  a colossal  figure,  representing  the 
“ Genius  of  Liberty in  its  right  hand  is  a torch,  in  its 
left  a broken  chain.  It  stands  on  one  foot,  with  wings  ex- 
panded, as  if  in  the  act  of  taking  flight.  The  height  of  this 
column  is  about  154  feet,  and  its  diameter  12  feet.  This 
monument  was  inaugurated  with  great  ceremony  in  1840, 
when  the  remains  of  the  victims  of  the  revolution  of  1830 
were  deposited  in  the  vaults  underneath. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


276 

& • / 


XOY. — THE  ALPINE  GLACIERS. 

The  glaciers  of  Europe  are  principally  confined  to  the 
great  mountainous  districts,  the  Alps  and  the  highlands  of 
Norway.  Wherever  (in  Europe)  any  considerable  area  of 
mountainous  country  rises  above  the  snow-line,  there 
glaciers  are  found  in  more  or  less  abundance.  In  the  Alps, 
this  level  is,  on  an  average,  about  7,200  feet,  including 
glaciers  of  all  descriptions.  The  best  known  and  most  im- 
portant glaciers  are  the  Mer  de  Glace  of  Chamouni,  the 
Corner  (or  Korner)  glacier,  near  Zermatt  (Monte  Rosa), 
the  lower  glacier  of  the  Aar,  a.nd  glacier  of  the  Rhone. 

Glaciers  among  the  Swiss  Alps  vary  from  a few  square 
yards  to  acres  and  miles  in  extent,  covering,  in  some  in- 
stances, whole  districts,  filling  up  entirely  the  elevated  hol- 
lows and  basins  between  the  peaks  and  ridges  of  the  Alps, 
and  sending  forth  arms  and  branches  into  the  inhabited 
valleys,  below  the  regions  of  forests,  and  as  far  down  as  the 
level  at  which  corn  will  grow.  It  is  such  offsets  of  the 
glacier  as  these  that  are  presented  to  the  view  of  the  traveler 
from  the  villages  of  Chamouni  and  Grindelwald.  These, 
however,  are,  as  it  were,  but  the  skirts  and  fringes  of  that 
vast,  everlasting  drapery  of  ice  which  clothes  all  the  upper 
region  of  the  Alps. 

These  fields  or  tracts  of  uninterrupted  glacier  have  been 
called  “ Seas  of  Ice,”  and  there  are  three  such  among  the 
Swiss  and  Savoyard  Alps  which  merit  special  attention, 
one  of  which  sends  out  no  less  than  thirteen  branches,  and 
its  extent  has  been  estimated  at  125  square  miles.  The 
greatest  thickness  of  the  glaciers  has  been  commonly  esti- 
mated at  between  600  and  800  feet. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


277 


The  glaciers  of  Grindelwald  descend  into  the  very  bottom 
of  the  valley,  almost  within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  cottages. 
They  flow  from  between  three  mountains — the  Giant,  the 
Middle  Mountain,  and  the  Wetterhorn — and  are  branches  of 
that  vast  ocean  of  ice  which  fills  the  high  valleys  of  the 
Bernese  Alps.  The  lower  glacier,  which  is  the  larger, 
forces  its  way  out  between  the  mountain  walls  of  a narrow 
valley.  It  gradually  -widens  above,  and  spreads  out  into  a 
sea  of  ice,  which  is  shattered  into  the  wildest  confusion  of 
peaks  and  crevices.  At  its  foot  are  found  gloomy  and 
irregular  caverns,  from  which  pour  forth  cold  streams  of 
water. 

Tne  upper  glacier  offers  the  same  wild  and  broken  sur- 
face, with  cliffs  and  gorges  of  ice,  and  often  has  a larger 
vault  at  its  end.  It  is  impossible  to  imagine  a stranger 
scene  than  that  of  these  rivers  of  ice  crushing  their  way 
slowly  down  the  valley,  with  the  enormous  mountain  sum- 
mits frowning  above.  The  Rosenlaeir  glacier  is  noted, 
above  all  others,  for  the  purity  of  its  white  surface,  and  the 
clear,  transparent  azure  of  its  icebergs.  It  falls,  like  a 
mountain  torrent,  down  between  the  dark  rocks,  and 
seems  like  a frozen  waterfall  arrested  in  its  descent.  The 
Aar  glacier  is  remarkably  even  in  surface,  and  is  broken 
rarely  into  cavities.  It  is  eighteen  miles  long,  and  two 
broad. 

The  Rhone  glacier,  from  which  the  Rhone  river  issues,  is 
one  of  the  grandest  in  Switzerland.  It  fills  the  head  of  the 
valley,  from  side  to  side,  and  seems  piled  up  against  the 
shoulder  of  the  mountain,  whose  tall  peak  overhangs  it. 
The  Rhone  springs  from  an  icy  cavern,  into  which  a water- 
fall rushes  from  a height  of  150  feet.  The  Glacier  de 
Rossgg  exhibits  those  sharp  edges  and  deep  precipices  of 
ice,  piled  together  in  savage  grandeur,  which  render  it  one 
of  the  most  striking  scenes  among  all  glacial  formations. 

The  Glacier  des  Bossons  reaches  further  into  the  valley 
than  any  other,  and  forms  at  its  foot  a huge  embankment 


278 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


of  rocks  and  stones,  above  which  lie  enormous  masses  of 
ice,  split  into  a thousand  strange  shapes,  some  forming  pin- 
nacles sixty  or  eighty  feet  high,  others  immense  broken  or 
melted  blocks  so  overhanging  that  they  excite  a shudder  of 
fear.  The  deep,  blue  color  of  the  ice  in  its  depths  is  inde- 
scribably beautiful.  The  Mer  de  Glace  is  the  name  which 
is  given  to  the  great  glaciers  which  form  the  source  of  the 
Arveyron  in  the  vale  of  Chamouni. 

The  view  of  this  enormous  sea  of  ice,  which  extends  two 
leagues  up  the  valley,  is  one  of  the  most  striking  in  these 
scenes  of  wonder ; and  its  vast  extent  and  steep  fastnesses 
make  it  as  attractive  to  the  daring  visitor  as  it  is  dangerous 
to  the  unpractised  and  incautious.  It  terminates  in  the 
Glacier  du  Bois,  which  ends  in  a vault  of  ice,  whose  arch 
varies  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  height.  The 
scenery  around  this  vault,  from  which  spring  the  rapid 
waters  of  the  Arveyron,  is  very  grand ; the  deep  blackness 
of  the  depth  of  the  cave  offers  a fine  contrast  to  the  beauti- 
ful azure  where  the  light  is  transmitted  through  the  ice, 
and  the  dark  forest  and  broken  trunks  of  the  pines  add  to 
the  wild  character  of  the  scene. 


XCYL— VALLEYS  AND  GORGES. 

Depressions  of  the  earth’s  surface,  occurring  between 
mountains,  hills,  or  neighboring  plateaus,  .form  what  are 
called  valleys.  These  are  almost  everywhere  exhibited  in  a 
remarkable  variety  of  shape  and  origin.  Valleys  become 
gorges  where  the  mountains  which  inclose  them  approach 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


279 


each  other  very  nearly ; when  they  are  separated  by  a wide 
interval  they  are  called  plains.  The  formation  of  valleys  is 
due  to  the  action  of  earthquakes — that  is,  to  the  great  oscil- 
lations which  in  former  ages  convulsed  the  earth — and  to 
the  gradual  loss  or  wearing  away  of  a bed  of  earth.  The  lat- 
ter is  caused  by  glaciers  and  surface  waste.  Valleys  may 
also  be  formed  by  the  violent  and.  sudden  action  of  the 
waters  which  have  laid  the  lower  strata  of  the  soil  by  car- 
rying away  the  upper. 

Gorges  and  ravines  are  very  numerous  in  hilly  countries, 
and  they  invariably  lead  to  the  most  open  valleys.  Their 
origin  is  always  violent,  and  it  is  due  to  the  destructive 
action  of  a torrent  or  to  a sudden  fracture  or  convulsion  of 
the  soil.  These  arbitrary  depressions  are  of  great  interest 
to  the  geologist,  because  they  reveal  sections  of  strata  and 
exhibit  the  character  of  the  rocks  composing  the  mountain 
mass.  The  Pyrenees,  the  Alps,  and  the  Andes  are  furrowed 
in  every  direction  by  profound  ravines.  Those  of  the  Alps 
are  best  known  to  the  world,  and  p£bhaps  a description  of  a 
few  of  them  may  not  be  uninteresting. 

The  gorge  of  the  Simplon  is  traversed  by  a carriage-road 
constructed  by  Bonaparte,  which  is  one  of  the  greatest  of 
modern  works  of  art.  On  the  Italian  side  of  the  mountains 
the  road  passes  through  the  gorge  of  Gondo,  one  of  the 
grandest  and  most  savage  in  the  Alps,  which  narrows  and 
deepens  at  every  step  until  its  precipices  in  some  places 
actually  overhang  the  road.  It  is  bounded  by  slate  rocks 
whose  smooth,  vertical  sides  deny  support  to  any  vegetation. 
The  basin  of  the  cliffs  and  the  bed  of  the  stream  are  often 
heaped  up  with  vast  shattered  fragments,  ruins  of  the 
mountains  above,  while  loosened  masses,  still  hanging  on 
the  slope,  seem  to  threaten  the  passenger  below. 

The  Gorge  de  Pfeifers,  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
spots  in  Switzerland,  is  made  accessible  by  a road  cut  in  the 
rocks  at  the  side  of  the  gorge.  On  a narrow  ledge,  a few 
feet  above  the  roaring  Tamina,  and  so  deeply  sunken  be- 


280 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


tween  the  rocks  as  to  be  half  buried,  are  the  Baths  of 
Pfeifer.  These  are  large,  gloomy  buildings,  affording  ac- 
commodations for  a limited  number  of  bathing  guests  who 
come  to  bathe  in  the  hot  springs  that  here  gush  from  the 
rocks.  A few  yards  above  the  bath-house,  the  sides  of  the 
ravine  contract  so  as  to  approach  within  a few  feet  of  each 
other ; a little  farther  up  they  even  close  over  and  cover  up 
the  river,  which  is  seen  issuing  out  of  a chasm.  A bridge  of 
planks  leads  to  the  entrance,  which  is  closed  by  a door. 
Within,  the  river  pursues  a subterranean  course  for  several 
hundred  yards. 

The  Via  Mala,  extending  a distance  of  four  miles,  is  one  of 
the  most  tremendous  and  sublime  defiles  in  the  Alps.  The 
precipices  often  rise  perpendicularly  on  both  sides  to  a 
height  of  1,600  feet,  and  in  many  places  are  not  more  than 
ten  yards  apart.  The  river  Rhine,  compressed  within  this 
narrow  stony  bed,  is  barely  audible  as  it  rushes  through  the 
depths  below  the  road.  When  the  traveler  enters  the  mouth 
of  the  defile,  the  suddert  transition  from  the  glare  of  sun- 
shine to  the  gloom  of  a chasm,  so  narrow  that  it  leaves  but 
a strip  of  sky  overhead,  is  exceedingly  striking.  The  walls 
of  rock  on  both  sides  afford,  naturally,  not  an  inch  of  space 
along  which  a goat’s  foot  could  clamber. 

The  peasants  gave  the  name  to  this  pass  of  Trou  Perdu 
(the  Lost  Gulf ),  because  it  was  for  a long  time  believed  to 
be  utterly  inaccessible.  For  more  than  1,000  feet  the  road 
is  carried  along  beneath  a stone  canopy,  artificially  hollowed 
out,  and  protected  by  a parapet  wall,  below  which,  at  a 
depth  of  many  hundred  feet,  the  contracted  Rhine  frets  the 
foot  of  the  precipice.  A little  higher  up,  the  gorge  bulges 
out  into  a sort  of  basin ; but  it  soon  contracts  again,  and 
the  scenery  of  the  pass  may.be  said  to  attain  the  height  of 
grandeur  beyond  the  first  of  the  three  bridges,  by  means  of 
, which  the  road  is  conveyed,  from  side  to  side  of  the  Rhine. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


281 


XCYII. — THE  SOLDIER’S  REST. 

Soldier  rest ! thy  warfare  o’er, 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking  ; 
Dream  of  battle-fields  no  more, 

Days  of  danger,  nights  of  waking. 

In  our  Isle’s  enchanted  hall, 

Hands  unseen  thy  couch  are  strewing, 
Fairy  strains  of  music  fall, 

Every  sense  in  slumber  dewing. 

Soldier,  rest  ! thy  warfare  o’er, 

Dream  of  battle-fields  no  more, 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking, 
Morn  of  toil,  nor  night  of  waking. 

No  rude  sound  shall  reach  thine  ear, 
Armor’s  clang,  or  war-steed  champing, 
Trump  nor  pibroch  summon  here, 

Mustering  clan,  or  squadron  tramping. 
Yet  the  lark's  shrill  fife  may  come, 

At  the  day-break  from  the  fallow, 

And  the  bittern  sound  his  drum, 

Booming  from  the  sedgy  shallow. 

Ruder  sounds  shall  none  be  near, 

Guards  nor  warders  challenge  here, 

Here’s  no  war-steed’s  neigh  and  champing. 
Shouting  clans  or  squadrons  stamping. 

Huntsman,  rest  ! thy  chase  is  done; 

While  our  slumb’rous  spells  assail  ye, 
Dreani  not  with  the  rising  sun, 

Bugles  here  shall  sound’  reveille. 

Sleep  ! the  deer  is  in  his  den  ; 

Sleep  ! thy  hounds  are  by  thee  lying; 
Sleep  ! nor  dream  in  yonder  glen. 

How  thy  gallant  steed  lay  dying, 
Huntsman,  rest ! thy  chase  is  done, 

Think  not  of  the  rising  sun, 

For  at  dawning  to  assail  ye, 

Here  no  bugle  sounds  reveille. 


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THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE* 


XCYIII.— RTJTNS  IN  HIND  0 STAN. 

The  ancient  city  of  Yijianngger  was  formerly  a magnifi- 
cent metropolis  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Tumboodra,  and 
is  said  to  have  contained  within  its  walls  an  area  of  seven 
square  miles.  All  that  now  remain  of  its  grandeur  are  two 
miserable  hamlets  and  almost  indistinguishable  ruins.  So 
little  is  known  of  the  ancient  city,  that  even  the  names  and 
uses  of  the  different  buildings  still  standing  are  in  many 
instances  only  conjecture. 

The  most  interesting  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  best 
identified  relic  is  the  Harem.  This  building  is  surrounded 
by  a high  wall,  whose  angles  are  surmounted  by  curious 
towers.  The  construction  of  the  wall  is  wedge-shape,  the 
base  being  very  broad  and  tapering  at  the  top  to  a sharp 
edge,  while  the  center  is  left  hollow.  The  enclosure 
is  cultivated  with  standing  corn,  so  thick  and  high  that 
nothing  can  be  seen,  an<J  it  is  with  extreme  difficulty  that 
the  building  is  reached.  The  Harem,  which  is  on  the 
favorite  star-shaped  plan  of  the  Hindoo,  is  a singularly 
pleasing  and  picturesque  specimen  of  the  mixed  style  of 
architecture.  The  lower  story  was  no  doubt  used  as  the 
private  audience  hall  of  the  king,  and  the  upper  as  his 
apartments. 

Not  far  from  the  Harem  are  the  ruins  of  a temple.  The 
pyramidal  tower  over  the  principal  entrance,  with  the  por- 
ticos on  each  side  for  the  use  of  the  pilgrims  who  used  to 
frequent  it,  are  all  in  ruins.  There  is  no  worship  of  any 
sort  ever  held  here,  nor  is  even  a native  to  be  seen  near  it 
except  on  very  rare  occasions.  In  the  court-yard  of  the 
temple  is  a juggernaut  car,  which,  however,  is  not  often 
visible,  from  the  jungle  which  rises  to  a great  height. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


283 


At  the  village  of  Tarputry  is  a temple  remarkable  for  the 
curious  appearance  of  the  pyramidal  gateway  tower,  which 
has  been  split  in  halves  by  lightning.  The  temple  is  en- 
tered by  one  of  the  side  doors  in  the  wall,  and  worship  is 
daily  performed  inside  by  a Brahmin  priest.  The  best  out- 
side view  of  the  temple  is  from  the  south,  where  it  is  sur- 
mounted by  a profusely-decorated  tower.  The  base  is  of  a 
hard  hornblend  stone,  and  well-carved.  Prom  its  sculp- 
ture, it  is  apparent  that  the  temple  is  dedicated  to  the 
worship  of  Vishnu,  since  the  monkey-god  appears  every- 
where. 

Hot  far  from  the  Harem,  in  the  ruined  city  of  Vijianug- 
ger,  described  heretofore,  is  a small  Hindoo  temple,  called 
the  Volkonda,  or  pleasure  hall.  It  had  the  usual  pyramidal 
tower  over  its  entrance,  which  is  now  in  ruins.  Passing 
around  the  temple  to  its  right,  its  northern  face  presents 
itself.  Entering  the  building  by  either  of  the  carved  doors, 
the  whole  of  the  interior  is  found  to  be  beautifully  orna- 
mented with  sculptures.  The  effect  of  the  room  is  spoilt 
by  being  so  very  low,  but  the  four  pillars  of  black  polished 
granite  and  the  whole  roof  are  master-pieces  of  engraving. 
The  center  of  the  floor  was  formerly  covered  with  an  enor- 
mous slab  of  granite.  This  has  been  lifted  by  the  Mussul- 
men  in  search  of  treasure,  and  still  remains  poised  in  air, 
as  left  by  them.  The  flooring  of  the  rest  of  the  interior 
has  also  been  broken  up  for  the  same  purpose ; here  was 
the  sanctuary,  and,  as  is  usually  the  case,  it  is  the  plainest 
part  of  the  whole  temple. 


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THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


XCIX.— EGYPTIAN  RUIN'S. 

The  foundation  of  the  city  of  Thebes  still  remains  en- 
veloped in  that  obscurity  which  is  the  fate  of  all  the  most 
ancient  cities.  Ancient  authors  do  not  agree  as  to  the  ex- 
tent of  this  city.  The  epithet  “ hundred-gated,”  applied  to 
it  by  Homer,  is  supposed  now  to  refer  rather  to  the  doors 
of  its  temples  than  to  the  gates  of  its  walls.  That,  how- 
ever, it  was  a great  and  powerful  city  cannot  be  disputed. 
This  we  learn  not  alone  from  the  authority  of  the  ancient 
writers,  but  the  extent  of  the  Egyptian  conquests  adding 
continually  to  the  wealth  of  the  empire  and  the  metropolis, 
the  magnificence  of  the  buildings  which  adorned  it,  the 
spoils  taken  thence  by  the  Persians,  and  the  gold  and  silver 
collected  after  the  burning  of  the  city,  amply  testify  to  the 
immense  wealth  of  Egyptian  Thebes. 

. The  greatest  step  toward  the  decline  and  fall  of  this 
city  was  the  preference  given  to  Lower  Egypt ; and  the  re- 
moval of  the  seat  of  government  to  Alexandria.  Com- 
mercial wealth,  on  the  accession  of  the  Ptolemies,  began 
to  flow  through  other  channels,  and  Ethiopia  no  longer 
contributed  to  the  revenues  of  Thebes.  Its  subsequent  de- 
struction, after  a three  years’  siege,  by  one  of  the  Ptolemies, 
struck  a death-blow  to  its  welfare  and  existence;  it  was 
thenceforth  scarcely  deemed  an  Egyptian  city. 

The  principal  part  of  Thebes  lay  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Nile ; that  on  the  opposite  bore  the  name  of  the  Libyan 
suburb.  It  is  not  certain  whether  or  no  cultivated  spots 
of  land  were  in  early  times  admitted  amidst  the  houses; 
but  it  appears  that  the  principal  inhabitants  had  extensive 
gardens  attached  to  their  mansions. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE.  28$ 

• 

The  most  ancient  remains  now  existing  at  Thebes  are 
unquestionably  in  the  great  temple  of  Karnak ; the  largest 
and  most  splendid  ruin  of  which  perhaps  either  ancient  or 
modern  times  can  boast,  being  the  work  of  a number  oi 
successive  monarchs,  each  anxious  to  surpass  his  predeces- 
sor by  increasing  the  size  and  proportions  of  the  part  he 
added.  It  is  this  fact  which  enables  us  to  account  for  the 
diminutive  size  of  the  older  parts  of  this  extensive  build- 
ing. And  to  their  comparatively  limited  scale,  offering 
greater  facility  to  an  invading  enemy  to  destroy  them,  added 
to  their  remote  antiquity,  are  to  be  attributed  their  di- 
lapidated state,  and  the  absence  of  all  sculptures.  The  ap- 
proach to  the  temple  was  along  an  avenue  lined  with  carved 
rocks,  which  from  their  resemblance  to  sphinxes  have  given 
a name  to  the  road. 

The  town  of  Sioot  has  succeeded  Grirgeh  as  the  capital  ot 
Upper  Egypt,  and  is  now  a thriving  town,  for  that  region. 
Of  the  ancient  Sioot  little  remains  except  extensive  mounds, 
and  a few  stone  foundations  which  are  frequently  discovered 
in  digging  basements  and  trenches.  In  the  mountain  above 
Sioot  are  several  grottoes  cut  in  the  solid  rock,  which  have 
been  used  for  many  centuries  for  burial-places.  The  modern 
town  of  Sioot  contains  about  20,000  inhabitants,  of  whom 
1,000  are  Christians.  In  the  town  are  several  good  houses, 
but  the  generality  are  mere  hovels.  The  streets  are  un- 
paved and  narrow,  as  is  the  case  in  all  the  towns  of  Egypt. 
Some  of  the  bazaars  are  little  inferior  to  those  of  Cairo,  and 
are  well  supplied. 

Pompey’s  Pillar,  near  the  city  of  Alexandria,  is  one  of  the 
wonders  of  Egypt.  It  stands  on  an  eminence  a little  south 
of  the  city  walls.  Its  foundations  were  evidently  once  un- 
der the  level  of  the  ground,  and  formed  part  of  a paved  area, 
the  stones  of  which  have  been  removed  (probably  to  serve 
as  building  materials),  leaving  only  those  beneath  the  column 
itself,  to  the  great  risk  of  the  monument.  The  total  height 
of  the  column  is  99  feet,  and  its  circumference  30  feet.  The 


286  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

shaft  is  elegant  and  of  good  style,  but  the  capital  and  pedes- 
tal are  of  inferior  workmanship,  and  have  the  appearance  of 
being  of  a different  epoch.  It  is  probable  that  this  monument 
silently  records  the  capture  of  Alexandria  by  the  arms  of 
Diocletian,  in  296  A.  D. 


C.— ADDRESS  TO  THE  MUMMY  IN  BELZONI’S  EXHIBITION, 

LONDON. 

And  thou  hast  walked  about  (how  strange  a story  !) 

In  Thebes’  streets  three  thousand  years  ago, 

When  the  Memnonium  was  in  all  its  glory, 

And  time  had  not  begun  to  overthrow 
Those  temples,  palaces,  and  piles  stupendous, 

Of  which  the  very  ruins  are  tremendous. 

Speak  ! for  thou  long  enough  hast  acted  dummy ; 

Thou  hast  a tongue — come,  let  us  hear  its  tune ; 
Thou’rUstanding  on  thy  legs,  above  ground,  Mummy, 

Revisiting  the  glimpses  of  the  moon  ; 

Not  like  thin  ghosts  or  disembodied  creatures. 

But  with  thy  bones,  and  flesh,  and  limbs,  and  features. 

Tell  us — for  doubtless  thou  canst  recollect — 

To  whom  should  we  assign  the  sphinx’s  fame  ? 

Was  Cheops  or  Cephrenes  architect 
Of  either  pyramid  that  bears  his  name  ? 

Is  Pompey’s  pillar  really  a misnomer  ? 

Had  Thebes  a hundred  gates,  as  sung  by  Homer  ? 

Perhaps  thou  wert  a Mason,  and  forbidden 
By  oath  to  tell  the  mysteries  of  thy  trade  ; 

Then  say  what  secret  melody  was  hidden 
v In  Memnon’s  statue,  which  at  sunrise  played  ? 

Perhaps  thou  wert  a priest ; if  so,  my  struggles 
Are  vain  ; Egyptian  priest  ne’er  owned  his  juggles. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


287 


Perchance  that  yery  hand,  now  pinioned  flat, 

Has  hob-a-nobbed  with  Pharaoh,  glass  to  glass : 

Or  dropped  a halfpenny  in  Homer’s  hat ; 

Or  doffed  thine  own  to  let  Queen  Dido  pass ; 

Or  held,  by  Solomon’s  own  invitation, 

A torch  at  the  great  temple’s  dedication. 

I need  not  ask  thee  if  that  hand,  when  armed, 

Has  any  Roman  soldier  mauled  and  knuckled 
For  thou  wert  dead  and  buried  and  embalmed, 

Ere  Romulus  and  Remus  had  been  suckled ; 

Antiquity  appears  to  have  begun 
Long  after  thy  primeval  race  was  run. 

Since  first  thy  form  was  in  this  box  extended. 

We  have  above  ground  seen  s,ome  strange  mutations ; 
The  Roman  empire  has  begun  and  ended ; 

New  worlds  have  risen — we  have  lost  old  nations, 

And  countless  kings  have  into  dust  been  humbled, 

While  not  a fragment  of  thy  flesh  has  crumbled. 

Didst  thou  not  hear  the  pother  o’er  thy  head 
When  the  great  Persian  conqueror,  Cambyses, 
Marched  armies  o’er  thy  head  with  thundering  tread, 
O’erthrew  Osiris,  Orus,  Apis,  Isis, 

And  shook  the  pyramids  with  fear  and  wondefljlf’ 

When  the  gigantic  Memnon  fell  asunder  ? 

If  the  tomb’s  secrets  may  not  be  confessed, 

The  nature  of  thy  private  life  unfold  ; — 

A heart  has  throbbed  beneath  that  leathern  breast, 

And  tears  adown  that  dusky  cheek  have  rolled ; — 
Have  children  climbed  those  knees,  and  kissed  that  face? 
What  were  thy  name  and  station,  age  and  race  ? 


Statue  of  flesh — -immortal  of  the  dead  ! 

Imperishable  type  of  evanescence  ! 

Posthumous  man,  who  quitt’st  thy  narrow  bed. 

And  stan dest  undecayed  within  our  presence, 

Thou  wilt  hear  nothing  till  the  judgment  morning. 

When  the  great  trump  shall  thrill  thee  with  its  warning, 


288 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


Why  should  this  worthless  tegument  endure, 

If  its  undoing  guest  he  lost  forever? 

O,  let  us  keep  the  soul  embalmed  and  pure 
In  living  virtue  ; that  when  both  must  sever. 
Although  corruption  may  our  frame  consume, 
The  immortal  spirit  in  the  skies  may  bloom. 


CL — QUITO  AND  SOUTH  AMERICAN  SCENES. 

The  city  of  Quito  is  situated  at  an  elevation  of  10,233 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  is  one  of  the  highest  inhabited 
points  of  the  globe.  Although  almost  immediately  under 
the  equator,  its  elevation  imparts  a degree  of  mildness  and 
salubrity  to  its  climate  rarely  found  in  the  tropics.  Its 
temperature  peerages  about  60  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  may 
be  truly  described  as  that  of  eternal  spring.  Fenced  around 
by  distant  mountains,  and  immediately  surrounded  by 
plains  and  fertile  valleys,  the  city  forms  the  center  of  one  of 
the  finest  landscapes  of  the  globe. 

Skirting  the  horizon  may  be  discerned  eight  snowy  peaks 
of  the  Andes ; and  to  the  north  and  south  of  the  city  are 
the  broad  and  beautiful  plains  of  Anaquifco  and  Turubamba. 
Quito  has  a number  of  large  and  elegant  public  squares, 
among  which  the  Plaza  San  Francisco  is  prominent.  Here, 
under  their  rude  tents,  are  exposed  the  fruits  and  market 
vegetables  for  sale  by  the  indolent  but  contented  Indian  and 
Spanish  women. 

Each  square  has  a stone  fountain  in  its  center,  supplied 
by  subterranean  aqueducts.  The  shops  in  the  various  pas- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


289 


sages  of  Quito  present  a curious  appearance.  A long 
covered  passage  contains  a great  number  of  booths,  or 
stalls,  with  different  articles  of  merchandise,  which  are  ex- 
hibited attractively  at  the  door. 

The  government  of  Ecuador,  of  which  Quito  is  the  capi- 
tal, is  republican,  as  is  also  that  of  the  adjacent  countries  of 
Venezuela  and  New  Grenada.  Vegetation  on  all  these  lands 
is  most  luxuriant.  Nowhere  on  the  American  continent 
does  the  palm-tree  attain  a more  colossal  size,  or  yield  more 
desirable  products.  The  banana  also  grows  spontaneously 
and  without  any  culture ; and,  besides  these,  flourish  many 
other  native  plants,  such  as  pine-apples,  tamarinds,  cactuses, 
and  the  cow-tree. 


Oil. — ' THE  ANDES. 

Earth’s  towering  mountains  own  thee  king,— 
Thy  head  is  crowned  with  snow, 

Where  the  condor  rests  his  weary  wing, 
Where  icy  tempests  blow. 

The  Pacific’s  trembling  waves 
Are  cow’ring  at  thy  feet, 

With  pallid  cheek  like  that  of  slaves, 

When  thy  stern  glance  they  meet. 

Thou  ne’er  hast  stooped  to  hold  commune 
With  lowly  things  of  earth  ; 

Alike  to  thee  is  flowery  June, 

Or.  cold  December’s  birth  ; 

Companionship  thou  hast  with  clouds, — 
They  hover  round  thy  head, 

And  wrap  thy  form  in  misty  shrouds. 

Like  winding-sheets  the  dead. 


13 


290 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


Thy  head  is  soaring  in  the  sky, 

Thine  eye,  perchance,  doth  scan 
The  beauties  of  the  world  on  high, 
Where  dwells  the  sou)  of  man ; 
Perchance  thou  seest  the  matchless  hand 
That  paints  the  sunset  skies  ; 

The  world  which  circles  that  bright  land 
Where  pleasure  never  dies. 


CIII.— AMONG  THE*  MOUNTAINS. 

The  mountains  which  give  such  variety  to  the. worlds 
appearance,  and  exercise  such  influence  over  climates  and 
animal  and  human  life,  are  really  but  minute  wrinkles  or 
folds  on  the  earth’s  immense  surface.  As.  the  rind  of  an 
apple  in  drying  shrivels  into  folds,  so  the  earth’s  surface 
has  sunk  in  some  places  into  mountain  ranges  and  ridges. 
Notwithstanding  the  majestic  size  of  mountains  to  the  eye, 
their  height  does  not  make  any  sensible  difference  in  the 
roundness  of  the  immense  globe  on  which  they  rest. 

No  mountain  exceeds  29,000  feet  in  height,  which  is  only 
one  fifteen-hundredth  of  the  diameter  of  the  planet.  This 
height  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  earth  would  corres- 
pond to  the  thickness  of  the  edge  of  a sheet  of  paper  laid 
on  an  ordinary  orange.  But  ordinary  mountains  are  less 
than  half  as  high  as  this,  and  make  but  a very  slight  dif- 
ference in  the  roundness  of  the  great  earth. 

These  slight  folds  of  the  earth’s  surface,  which  are  so 
great  to  us,  have  been  produced  by  the  gradual  cooling  of 
the  planet,  which  has  made  numerous  cracks  or  fissures  as 
well  as  these  mountain  ridges.  The  cracks  were  afterward 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


291 


filled  by  liquid  tides  of  melted  rock,  granite,  basalt,  and 
lava.  It  is  in  the  province  of  geology  to  explain  the  making 
of  mountains  and  their  structure,  in  connection  with 
the  materials,  of  which  they  are  formed.  We  shall  deal 
chiefly  with  their  outward  appearance,  and  the  .exploration 
of  their  heights  by  human  effort. 

Mountains  which  tower  up  in  solitary  greatness,  either 
from  the  bosom  of  the  sea  or  from  some  level  plain,  pro- 
duce, more  than-  all  others,  an  effect  of  the  highest  gran- 
deur, and  make  the  most  vivid  impression  on  ihe  mind. 
The  mind’s  eye  can  hardly  picture  scenes  superior  in  beauty 
to  those  formed  by  the  graceful  slopes  and  purple  summits 
of  solitary  mountains,  at  the  base  of  which  a whole  horizon 
seems  spread  out. 

Among  the  most  interesting  records  connected  with 
mountain  heights  are  those  of  their  ascent.  The  climbing 
and  exploration  of  mountains  has  always  been  a fascinating 
pursuit,  and,  at  the  present  time,  is  become  a complete  pas- 
sion. Alpine  Clubs,  or  societies  of  mountain  climbers, 
composed  in  .great  part  of  some  of  the  most  energetic  and 
most  intelligent  scientific  men  of  Western  Europe,  have 
devoted  themselves  to  the  task  of  vanquishing,  one  after 
another,  every  mountain  top  which  has  been  hitherto  con- 
sidered inaccessible. 

He  who  scales  a mountain  feels  himself  his  own  master, 
and  responsible  for  his  own  life.  His  eye  enables  him  to 
avoid  the  stones  which  lie  in  his  path,  to  measure  the 
depths  of  precipices,  and  to  discover  the  rocky  projections 
and  clefts  which  will  aid  to  climb  the  cliffs.  The  force  and 
elasticity  of  his  muscles  will  enable  him  to  leap  over  safely 
the  deepest  crevasses , to  maintain  his  footing  on  the  steep- 
est inclines,  and  to  raise  himself,  step  by  step,  up  the  most 
difficult  passages. 

With  what  joy  does  he  afterward  relate  the  slightest  inci- 
dent of  the  ascent : the  stones  rolling  down  the  mountain 
slope,  and  plunging  into  the  torrent  beneath  with  a dead- 


292 


♦THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


ened  sound ; the  root  to  which  he  hung  suspended  when 
he  scaled  a wall  of  rock ; the  streamlet  of  snow-water  at 
which  he  quenched  his  thirst ; the  first  glacier  crevasse  oyer 
the  brink  of  which  he  stooped,  and  yet  dared  to  leap* ; the 
long  and  weary  slope  up  which  he  so  painfully  climbed, 
with  his  legs  buried  knee-deep  in  the  snow ; finally,  the 
topmost  peak,  from  which  he  saw,  spreading  away  in  the 
mist  of  the  horizon,  the  immense  panorama  of  mountain, 
valley,  and  plain. 

With  regard  to  the  intellectual  pleasure  which  mountain 
climbing  affords,  which,  however,  is  intimately  bound  up 
with  the  material  joys  of  ascent,  it  is  proportionately  greater 
as  the  mind  is  more  expanded,  and  the  various  facts  of 
nature  have  been  more  successfully  studied.  The  destruc- 
tive action  of  water  and  snow  is  fully  grasped  by  the  scien- 
tific traveler ; he  watches  the  movement  of  the  glaciers,  and 
the  rolling  rocks  or  boulders  making  their  way  from  the 
summits  to  the  plains ; he  traces  out  the  enormous  level  or 
inclined  strata;  he  perceives  the  masses  of  granite  upheav- 
ing the  beds.  Then,  when  he  at  last  stands  on  some  lofty 
peak,  he  can  contemplate  in  its  entirety  the  mountain  edi- 
fice, with  its  ravines  and  its  spurs,  its  snows,  its  forests,  and 
its  meadows;  the  hollows  and  the  valleys  which  the  ice,  the 
water,  and  the  tempest  have  carved  in  the  immense  relief 
are  clearly  defined,  and  the  whole  labor  accomplished  dur- 
ing thousands  of  centuries  by  all  the  geological  agents  is 
plainly  seen. 

Mountain  ascents  furnish  some  of  the  finest  examples  on 
record  of  human  daring  and  perseverance  in  overcoming 
the  most  forbidding  difficulties;  and  the  narratives  of  these 
intrepid  explorers  of  the  rugged  fastnesses  of  nature  are 
read  with  great  interest  and  give  the  best  possible  descrip- 
tions of  the  almost  inaccessible  regions  which  lie  under  the 
reign  of  perpetual  winter. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


293 


CIV.—1 THE  MOUNTAINS  OF  LIFE. 

'There’s  a land  far  away,  'mid  stars,  we  are  told, 

Where  they  know  not  the  sorrows  of  time ; 

Where  the  pure  waters  wander  through  valleys  of  gold, 
And  life  is  a treasure  sublime ; 

’Tis  the  land  of  our  God,  ’tis  tho  home  of  the  soul, 

Where  ages  of  splendor  eternally  roll, — 

Where  the  way-weary  traveler  reaches  his  goal 
On  the  evergreen  mountains  of  life. 

Our  gaze  cannot  soar  to  that  beautiful  land, 

But  our  visions  have  told  of  its  bliss, 

And  our  souls  by  the  gale  from  its  gardens  are  fanned, 
When  we  faint  in  the  deserts  of  this. 

And  we  sometimes  have  longed  for  its  holy  repose, 

When  our  spirits  were  torn  with  temptations  and  woes, 
And  we’ve  drunk  from  the  tide  of  the  river  that  flows 
From  the  evergreen  mountains  of  life. 

O ! the  stars  never  tread  the  blue  heavens  at  night 
But  we  think  where  the  ransomed  have  trod ; 

And  the  day  never  smiles  from  his  palace  of  light 
But  we  feel  the  bright  smile  of  our  God. 

We  are  traveling  homeward,  through  changes  and  gloom, 
To  a kingdom  where  pleasures  unchangingly  bloom, 

And  our  guide  is  the  glory  that  shines  through  the  tomb 
From  the  evergreen  mountains  of  life. 


CV.—THE  MOUNTAINS  OF  SCOTLAND. 

The  mountains  of  Scotland  have  long  been  noted  for  the 
peculiar  beauty  and  grandeur  of  their  scenery.  They  have 
also  many  historic  associations  which  render  them  doubly 


294  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

interesting  to  the  traveler  who  wanders  over  their  rugged 
sides. 

The  range  known  as  the  Grampian  Hills  is  by  far  the 
most  celebrated,  and  contains  nearly  all  of  the  loftier  peaks. 
The  principal  chain  of  the  Grampians  commences  near 
Glencoe  and  Loch  Etive  in  the  west,  and  ends  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Eiver  Dee,  on  the  eastern  coast,  shooting  off,  at 
various  points,  an  irregular  succession  of  hills  which,  com- 
pletely filling  the  upper  part  of  Scotland,  constitute  the 
Highlands. 

Ben  Nevis,  the  highest,  mountain  in  Great  Britain,  lies 
in  the  Ivest  country,  and  a little  off  from  the  main  line  of 
the  Grampians.  Its  height  above  the  sea  is  4,406  feet,  and 
its  circumference  at.  the  base  is  supposed  to  be  above 
twenty-four  miles.  The  mountain  consists  of  two  distinct 
terraces,  on  the  lower  of  which  is  a wild  mountain  lake. 
Yery  little  vegetation  exists  above  this  height. 

Perhaps  the  most  attractive  resort  for  travelers  is  the 
Valley  of  Glencoe,  situated  some  distance  south  of  Ben 
Nevis.  The  lower  portion  of  the  glen  is  cultivated  and 
wooded,  but  the  signs  of  civilization  gradually  disappear 
on  approaching  the  upper  part,  which  presents  a scene  of 
unmingled  wildness  and  grandeur.  On  both  sides,  steep 
mountains  rise  to  a great  height,  while  in  the  huge  clefts 
of  their  rocky  and  blackened  summits,  wreaths  of  snow 
and  clouds  of  mist  may  be  seen  all  the  year  round. 

This  spot,  so  remarkable  for  its  scenery,  is  also  well 
known  in  Scottish  history  as  the  scene  of  the  horrid  “ Mas- 
sacre of  Glencoe,”  which  took  place  at  the  northwest  end 
of  the  valley  in  the  year  1692.  In  the  August  before,  King 
William  had  issued  a proclamation,  offering  pardon  to  all 
the  Scotch  chieftains  who  should  take  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  king  before  the  last  day  of  December.  The 
chiefs  of  all  the  clans  in  rebellion  took  advantage  of  the 
proclamation ; but  Macdonald  of  Glencoe  was  prevented 
by  accident  from  making  his  submission  within  the  time 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


295 


that  had  been  set.  The  bad  state  of  the  mountain  roads 
prevented  him  from  reaching  Inverary  until  after  the  last 
of  December. 

The  sheriff  of  Argyleshire,  however,  after  hearing  his 
reasons  for  not  coming  before,  administered  to  him  the 
prescribed  oath,  and  notified  the  Privy-Council  of  the  fact. 
Several  members  of  that  body,  having  a hatred  for  Mac- 
donald, withheld  this  notice  from  the  king,  who  accord- 
ingly signed  an  order  for  the  old  chiefs  death.  On  the 
1st  of  February,  a company  of  soldiers  were  sent  to  Glen- 
coe, where  they  were  received  with  hospitality  by  Mac- 
donald himself.  After  lodging  under  his  roof  thirteen 
days,  they  set  upon  the  Macdonalds  and  murdered  thirty- 
eight  persons,  including  the  chief.  Several  who  escaped 
and  fled  to  the  mountains,  perished  from  the  cold  and  ex- 
posure. 

One  important  feature  of  Highland  scenery  is  the  abund- 
ance of  small  mountain  lakes.  These  form  a beautiful 
contrast  to  the  wild  and  rugged  steeps  wherein  they  are 
set.  At  the  end  of  the  Trosachs,  a singularly  picturesque 
and  romantic  defile,  near  Callander,  lies  Loch  Katrine. 

“With  promontory,  creek,  and  bay, 

And  islands  that  empurpled  bright, 

Float  amid  the  livelier  light. 

And  mountains  that  like  giants  stand 
To  sentinel  enchanted  land.” 

In  it  is  the  lovely  Ellen’s  Isle,  celebrated  by  the  poet 
Scott, 

“ Where  for  retreat  in  dangerous  hour, 

Some  chief  had  framed  a rustic  bower.” 

The  whole  aspect  of  nature  from  this  island  is  one  of  en- 
chanting loveliness.  The  rugged  mountains  rising  on  all 
sides  assume  a softer  hue  from  this  distance.  The  crags 
and  fissures,  so  terrible  at  a near  approach,  are  here  blended 
and'  softened  with  the  luxuriant  herbage,  and  the  lake 
itself,  protected  from  the  winds,  lies  calm  and  clear  as 
crystal. 


296 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


CVI. — THE  WIDOW  OF  GLENCOE. 

Do  not  lift  him  from  the  bracken,  leave  him  lying  where  he  fell — 
Better  bier  ye  cannot  fashion : none  beseems  him  half  so  well 
As  the  bare  and  broken  heather,  and  the  hard  and  trampled  sod, 
Whence  his  angry  soul  ascended  to  the  judgment-seat  of  God  ! 
Winding-sheet  we  cannot  give  him — seek  no  mantle  for  the  dead, 

Save  the  cold  and  spotless  covering  showered  from  heaven  upon  his 
head. 

Leave  his  broadsword  as  we  found  it,  bent  and  broken  with  the  blow 
That,  before  he  died,  avenged  him  on  the  foremost  of  the  foe. 

Leave  the  blood  upon  his  bosom — wash  not  off  that  sacred  stain ; 

Let  it  ’Stiffen  on  the  tartan,  let  his  wounds  unclosed  remain, 

Till  the  day  when  he  shall  show  them  at  the  throne  of  God  on  high, 
When  the  murderer  and  the  murdered  meet  before  their  Judge’s  eye. 
Nay — ye  should  not  weep,  my  children ! leave  it  to  the  faint  and 
weak ; 

Sobs  are  but  a woman’s  weapons — tears  befit  a maiden’s  cheek. 

W eep  not,  children  of  Macdonald  ! weep  not  thou,  his  orphan  heir ; 
Not  in  shame,  but  stainless  honor,  lies  thy  slaughtered  father  there. 

W eep  not — but  when  years  are  over,  and  thine  arm  is  strong  and 
sure,  ^ 

And  thy  foot  is  swift  and  steady  on  the  mountain  and  the  muir. 

Let  thy  heart  be  hard  as  iron,  and  thy  wrath  as  fierce  as  fire, 

Till  the  hour  when  vengeance  cometh,  for  the  race  that  slew  thy  sire ! 
Till  in  deep  and  dark  Glenlyon  rise  a louder  shriek  of  woe, 

Than,  at  midnight,  from  their  eyry  scared  the  eagles  of  Glencoe ; 
Louder  than  the  screams  that  mingled  with  the  howling  of  the  blast, 
When  the  murderers’  steel  was  clashing,  and  the  fires  were  rising 
fast; 

When  thy  noble  father  bounded  to  the  rescue  of  his  men,  • 

And  the  slogan  of  our  kindred  pealed  throughout  the  startled  glen ; 
When  the  herd  of  frantic  women  stumbled  through  the  midnight 
snow, 

With  their  fathers’  houses  blazing,  and  iheir  dearest  dead  below ! 

Oh  ! the  horror  of  the  tempest,  as  the  flashing  drift  was  blown, 
Crimsoned  with  the  conflagration,  and  the  roofs  went  thundering 
down! 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


297 


Oh,  the  prayers,  the  prayers  and  curses,  that  together  winged  their 
flight 

From  'the  maddened  hearts  of  many,  through  that  long  and  woeful 
night — 

Till  the  fires  began  to  dwindle,  and  the  shots  grew  faint  and  few, 

And  we  heard  the  foemams  challenge  only  in  a far  halloo  ; 

Till  the  silence  once  more  settled  o’er  the  gorges  of  the  glen, 

Broken  only  by  the  Cona  plunging  through  its  naked  den. 

Slowly  from  the  mountain  summit  was  the  drifting  veil  withdrawn, 
And  the  ghostly  valley  glimmered  in  the  gray  December  dawn. 

Better  had  the  morning  never  dawned  upon  our  dark  despair  ! 

Black  amidst  the  common  whiteness  rose  the  spectral  ruins  there ; 

But  the  sight  of  these  was  nothing  more  than  wrings  the  wild  dove’s 
breast, 

When  she  searches  for  her  offspring  round  the  relics  of  her  nest. 

For  in  many  a spot  the  tartan  peered  above  the  wintry  heap. 

Marking  where  a dead  Macdonald  lay  within  his  frozen  sleep. 
Tremblingly  we  scooped  the  covering  from  each  kindred  victim’s  head, 
And  the  living  lips  were  burning  on  the  cold  ones  of  the  dead. 

And  I left  them  with  their  dearest — dearest  charge  had  every  one — 
Left  the  maiden  with  her  lover,  left  the  mother  with  her  son, 

I alone  of  all  was  mateless — far  more  wretched  I than  they, 

For  the  snow  would  not  discover  where  my  lord  and  husband  lay. 

But  I wandered  up  the  valley,  till  I found  him  lying  low, 

With  the  gash  upon  his  bosom,  and  the  frown  upon  his  brow — 

Till  I found  him  lying  murdered  where  he  wooed  me  long  ago  ! 
Woman’s  weakness  shall  not  shame  me — why  should  I have  tears  to 
shed  ? 

Could  I rain  them  down  like  water,  O my  hero  ! on  thy  head — 

Could  the  cry  of  lamentation  wake  thee  from  thy  silent  sleep. 

Could  it  set  thy  heart  a-throbbing,  it  were  mine  to  wail  and  weep  I 
But  I will  not  waste  my  sorrow,  lest  the  Campbell  women  say 
That  the  daughters  of  Clanranold  are  as  weak  and  frail  as  they. 

I had  wept  thee  hadst  thou  fallen,  like  our  fathers,  on  thy  shield. 

When  a host  of  English  foemen  camped  upon  a Scottish  field — 

I had  mourned  thee,  hadst  tliou  perished  with  the  foremost  of  his 
name. 

Where  the  valiant  and  the  noble  died  around  the  dauntless  Graeme  ! 

But  I will  not  wrong  thee,  husband,  with  my  unavailing  cries. 

Whilst  thy  cold  and  mangled  body,  stricken  by  the  traitor  lies ; 

Whilst  he  counts  the  gold  and  glory  that  this  hideous  night  has 
won 

And  his  heart  is  big  with  triumph  at  the  murder  he  has  done 

13* 


298 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Other  eyes  than  mine  shall  glisten,  other  hearts  he  rent  in  twain, 
Ere  the  heath-bells  on  thy  hillock  wither  in  the  autumn  rain, 

Then  111  seek  thee  where  thou  sleepest,  and  111  veil  my  weary  head. 
Praying  for  a place  beside  thee,  dearer  than  my  bridal  bed : 

And  111  give  thee  tears,  my  husband,  if  the  tears  remain  to  me, 
When  the  widows  of  the  foeman  cry  the  coronach  for  thee  ! 


CVII. — KUSSIAN  PALACES. 

Bussia  is  the  largest  empire  in  the  world,  and  comprises 
within  its  borders  one  hundred  different  tribes,  who  speak 
more  than  forty  languages.  Its  metropolis  is  St.  Petersburg, 
and  that  city,  together  with  Moscow,  contains  most  of  the 
wealth,  learning  and  other  concomitants  of  civilization  to  be 
found  in  the  Kussian  empire.  A century  and  a half  ago  the  site 
of  St.  Petersburg  was  but  a low,  marshy  plain,  in  an  almost 
uninhabited  region.  To-day  it  is  covered  by  a city  of  more 
than  half  a million  of  people,  with  an  area  of  thirty  square 
miles;  with  broad,  regular  streets  and  immense  squares 
lined  with  lofty  buildings ; the  most  signal  triumph  of 
human  will  over  material  obstacles  that  the  later  ages  have 
shown.  This  is  due  to  the  energy  and  perseverance  of  the 
Kussian  monarchs,  beginning  with  Peter  the  Great. 

The  buildings  of  St.  Petersburg  are  remarkable  for  the 
splendor  and  magnitude  of  their  architecture.  Chief  among 
these  is  the  Winter  Palace,  the  most  spacious  royal  resi- 
dence in  the  world.  It  has  a front  of  700  feet,  and  is  in 
the  form  of  a vast  square.  Bows  upon  rows  of  piles  were 
driven  into  the  ground  for  its  foundation ; and  Turkish 
cannon  were  melted  down  to  form  the  capital  and  orna- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


299 


ments  for  its  base.  The  interior  is  gorgeous  in  the  extreme, 
consisting  of  suites  of  magnificent  halls  filled  with  marbles, 
malachites,  precious  stones,  vases,  and  pictures.  While  the 
emperor  occupies  it,  the  palace  is  said  to  contain  5,000 
people. 

Moscow,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  empire,  is  situated 
near  the  center  of  Eussia,  and  400  miles  from  St.  Peters- 
burg. Its  streets  are  very  irregular,  and,  as  a general  thing, 
the  houses  are  insignificant  in  appearance.  There  are, 
however,  some  edifices  which  have  become  world-renowned. 
Among  these  we  notice  the  Kremlin. 

This  structure  is  both  fortress  and  altar ; the  religious 
heart  of  Eussia ; her  Acropolis ; the  place  or  her  holiest 
shrines,  and  the  depository  of  her  proudest  trophies.  About 
it  the  streets  of  Moscow  arrange  themselves  as  those  of  an 
English  cathedral  city  do  about  the  minster.  Triangular 
in  shape,  and  somewhat  over  a mile  in  circumference,  it 
rises  on  the  elevated  bank  of  the  Moskwa,  quaint  and  grand, 
and  indescribable.  Massive  stone  walls  close  it  round, 
irregular  in  design*  pierced  by  gates  and  overhung  with 
towers.  Although  St.  Petersburg  is  the  residence  of  the 
Czar,  the  most  important  events  of  their  lives  are  solemnized 
in  the  Kremlin  at  Moscow ; crowned  in  the  cathedral  of 
Assumption ; wedded  in  that  of  Annunciation ; and  buried 
in  that  of  the  Archangel  Michael. 

Nearly  in  the  center  of  the  buildings  of  the  Kremlin,  and 
far  overtopping  them  all,  is  the  famous  Ivan  Veliki,  or 
Tower  of  John  the  Great,  which  rises  without  ornament  of 
any  kind,  to  the  height  of  209  feet,  and  is  surmounted  by  a 
gilded  dome,  on  which,  as  on  the  other  gilded  domes  of  the 
Kremlin,  the  cross  is  displayed  above  the  crescent.  It  con- 
sists of  several  stories,  in  each  of  which  hangs  a stupendous 
bell,  one  of  them  weighing  64  tons. 

Another  bell,  nearly  trebling  this  enormous  weight,  called 
Czar  Kolokol,  or  the  Emperor  of  Bells,  stands  at  the  bottom 
of  the  tower,  on  a pedestal  of  granite.  To  this  position  it 


300 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


was  raised  in  1837,  by  the  Emperor  Nicholas,  after  haying 
remained  for  a century  buried  on  the  spot  where  it  is  said 
to  have  fallen  when  the  tower  in  which  it  was  suspended 
was  burned.  Its  height  is  21 A feet,  and  diameter  22£  feet. 
A huge  fragment  was  broken  from  it  by  the  fall. 

Besides  the  imperial  palaces  in  the  Kremlin,  are  the 
Petrowski  palace  and  gardens,  outside  of  the  St.  Petersburg 
gate,  the  principal  fashionable  resort  during  the  summer 
season,  and  the  palace  of  the  Empress  Elizabeth.  The 
former  is  a beautiful  structure,  in  a circular  shape,  and  sur- 
mounted at  intervals  by  elegant  towers. 


CVIII. — MAMMOTH  CAYE. 

This  celebrated  cavern,  hidden  beneath  the  hills  which 
line  Green  river,  in  Kentucky,  is  the  most  spacious  known 
in  the  world.  It  has  already  been  explored  to  a distance  of 
ten  miles,  though  many  of  its  winding  recesses,  heavy  with 
darkness  and  silence,  have  been  passed  by  unvisited.  It  is 
known'to  contain  226  avenues,  47  magnificent  chambers  or 
halls,  23  deep  pits,  several  lakes,  8 cataracts  and  3 rivers. 

Audubon’s  avenue,  not  far  from  the  entrance  of  the  cave, 
is  more  than  a mile  in  length,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  width 
and  as  many  in  height.  The  Gothic  avenue  is  two  miles  in 
length  and  of  great  beauty.  In  this  avenue  there  is  a large 
column,  containing  a niche  or  seat  of  peculiar  appearance, 
called  “ The  Devil’s  Arm-chair.”  The  ceiling  of  the  avenue 
is  singularly  beautiful,  as  the  stalactites  assume  the  most 
fantastic  shapes.  The  church  has  a natural  pulpit,  behind 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


301 


which  is  a recess,  as  if  to  accommodate  an  organ  and  choir. 
Wandering  Willie’s  spring  is  a small  rill  of  water  trickling 
down  from  the  roof.  It  is  named  from  a country  violinist,* 
who  wandered  away  from  his  party,  had  his  lamp  extin- 
guished, and  was  found  lying  asleep  beside  the  spring. 
Many  names  of  visitors  can  be  here  seen,  cut  in  the  rock. 

The  entrance  to  Long  Eoute  is  so  narrow  and  low  that 
it  is  passed  with  difficulty.  Here,  on  the  right,  is  seen  the 
Giant’s  Coffin,  a huge  mass  of  rock,  curiously  resembling  a 
coffin.  The  Bottomless  Pit  is  on  the  main  route,  a mile 
and  a half  from  the  entrance.  The  depth  of  this  black, 
awful  precipice  can  hardly  be  imagined.  Twisted  wreaths 
of  oiled  paper,  which  are  lighted  and  flung  down  into  the 
chasm,  die  out  before  they  can  reach  the  bottom.  It  is 
said  that  two  runaway  negroes,  hunted  to  the  death  in 
this  gloomy  labyrinth,  flung  themselves  headlong  into  the 
shadowy  gulf.  A sounding  line  of  nearly  a thousand  feet 
fails  to  reach  the  bottom. 

Bandit  Hall  presents  a scene  of  romantic  wildness,  and 
is  a center  from  which  several  unexplored  avenues  branch 
off.  Continually  climbing  and  descending,  one  comes 
under  the  immense  Mammoth  Dome,  whose  cupola,  425 
feet  high,  is-  lost  in  the  flickering  shadows.  A winding 
pathway  leads  to  a point  very  near  its  summit,  yffiich  con- 
sists of  a black  vault  besprinkled  with  shining  crystals,  and 
is  known  as  The  Star  Chamber.  Martha’s  Vineyard,  six 
miles  and  a half  from  the  entrance,  takes  its  name  from  the 
appearance  of  the  dark  stalactite  formations  on  the  side  and 
roof,  which  are  thought  to  resemble  grapes. 

A distinguished  English  author  says  of  this  wonderful 
cavern : “ I have  described  many  things  in  my  life ; but, 
were  you  to  offer  me  the  world,  I could  not,  either  to  my 
own  or  your  satisfaction,  describe  what  I have  seen  in  the 
monarch  of  caves,  from  which  I have  just  come.” 


302 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


CIX.—THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE. 

All  day,  as  day  is  reckoned  on  the  earth. 

I’ve  wandered  in  these  dim  and  awful  aisles, 

Shut  from  the  blue  and  breezy  dome  of  heaven, 

While  thoughts,  wild,  drear,  and  shadowy,  have  swept 
Across  my  awe-struck  soul,  like  spectres  o’er 
The  wizard’s  magic  glass,  or  thunder-clouds 
O’er  the  blue  waters  of  the  deep.  And  now 
I’ll  sit  me  down  upon  yon  broken  rock, 

To  muse  upon  the  strange  and  solemn  things 
Of  this  mysterious  realm. 

All  day  my  steps 

Have  been  amid  the  beautiful,  the  wild, 

The  gloomy,  the  terrific.  Crystal  founts, 

Almost  invisible  in  their  serene 

And  pure  transparency — high  pillar’d  domes, 

With  stars  and  flowers  all  fretted  like  the  halls 

Of  Oriental  monarchs — rivers  dark 

And  drear,  and  voiceless  as  oblivion’s  stream 

That  flows  through  Death’s  dim  vale  of  silence, — gulfs. 

All  fathomless,  down  which  .the  loosened  rock 

Plunges,  until  its  far-off  echoes  come 

Fainter  and  fainter,  like  the  dying  roll 

Of  thunders  in  the  distance — Stygian  pools, 

Whose  agitated  waves  give  back  a sound 
Hollow  and  dismal,  like  the  sullen  roar 
In  the  volcano’s  depths — these,  these  have  left 
Their  spell  upon  me,  and  their  memories 
Have  passed  into  my  spirit,  and  are  now 
Blent  with  my  being,  till  they  seem  a part 
Of  my  own  immortality. 

God’.s  hand, 

At  the  creation,  hollowed  out  this  vast 
Domain  of  darkness,  where  no  herb  nor  flower 
E’er  sprang  amid  the  sands ; no  dew  nor  rains, 

Nor  blessed  sunbeams,  fell  with  a freshening  power, 

Nor  gentle  breeze  its  Eden-message  told 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


303 


Amid  the  dreadful  gloom.  Six  thousand  years 
Swept  o’er  the  earth  ere  human  footprints  marked 
This  subterranean  desert.  Centuries, 

Like  shadows,  came  and  passed,  and  not  a sound 
W as  in  this  realm,  save  when,  at  intervals. 

In  the  long  lapse  of  ages,  some  huge  mass 
Of  overhanging  rock  fell  thundering  down. 

Its  echoes  sounding  through  these  corridors 
A moment,  and  then  dying  in  a hush 
Of  silence,  such  as  brooded  o’er  the  earth 
When  earth  was  chaos. 

The  great  mastodon, 

The  dreaded  monster  of  the  elder  world, 

Passed  o’er  this  mighty  cavern,  and  his  tread 
Bent  the  old  forest-oaks  like  fragile  reeds, 

And  made  earth  tremble.  Armies  in  their  pride, 
Perchance,  have  met  above  it  in  the  shock 
Of  war,  with  shout,  and  groan  and  clarion  blast. 
And  the  hoarse  echoes  of  the  thunder-gun. 

The  storm,  the  whirlwind  and  the  hurricane 
Have  roared  above  it,  and  the  bursting  cloud 
Sent  down  its  red  and  crashing  thunderbolt. 
Earthquakes  have  trampled  o’er  it  in  their  wrath, 
Rocking  earth’s  surface  as  the  storm-wind  rocks 
The  old  Atlantic;  yet  no  sound  of  these 
E’er  came  down  to  the  everlasting  depths 
Of  these  dark  solitudes. 

How  oft  we  gaze 

With  awe  or  admiration  on  the  new 
And  unfamiliar,  but  pass  coldly  by 
The  lovelier  and  the  mightier  ! Wonderful 
Is  this  lone  world  of  darkness  and  of  gloom, 

But  far  more  wonderful  yon  outer  world, 

Lit  by  the  glorious  sun.  These  arches  swell 
Sublime  in  lone  and  dim  magnificence. 

But  hovV  subiimer  God’s  blue  canopy 
Beleaguered  with  his  burning  cherubim, 

Keeping  their  wat^h  eternal ! 

Beautiful 

Are  all  the  thousand  snow-white  gems  that  lie 
In  these  mysterious  chambers,  gleaming  out 
Amid  the  melancholy  gloom ; and  wild 


304 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE* 


These  rocky  hills,  and  cliffs,  and  gulfs ; but  far 
More  beautiful  and  wild  the  things  that  greet 
The  wanderer  in  our  world  of  light — the  stars 
Floating  on  high,  like  islands  of  the  bless’d — 

The  autumn  sunsets  glowing  like  the  gate 
Of  far-off  Paradise — the  gorgeous  clouds, 

On  which  the  glories  of  the  earth  and  sky 
Meet  and  commingle — earth’s  unnumbered  flowers. 
All  turning  up  their  gentle  eyes  to  heaven — 

The  birds,  with  bright  wings  glancing  in  the  sun, 
Filling  the  air  with  rainbow  miniatures — 

The  green  old  forests  surging  in  the  gale — 

The  everlasting  mountains  on  whose  peaks 
The  setting  sun  burns  like  an  altar  flame — 

And  ocean,  like  a pure  heart,  rendering  back 
Heaven’s  perfect  image,  or  in  his  wild  wrath 
Heaving  and  tossing  like  the  stormy  breast 
Of  a chained  giant  in  his  agony. — 


OX.— EUROPEAN-  WATER-PALLS. 

It  is  in  mountainous  countries  that  water-falls  are  found 
in  greatest  magnitude.  Cataracts  are  formed  by  the  descent 
of  a stream  over  a precipice  which  is  perpendicular,  or 
nearly  so,  and  depend  for  their  sublimity  upon  the  height 
of  their  fall  and  the  grandeur  of  the  surrounding  scenery. 
In  Europe,  the  Alpine  mountains  contain  many  falls  that 
have  attained  great  celebrity.  The  Staubbach  in  the  valley 
of  Lauterbrunner,  Switzerland,  is  one  of  these.  It  is  one  of 
the  loftiest  falls  in  Europe,  measuring  between  800  to  900 
feet  in  height ; and  from  this  cause,  and  from  the  compara- 
tively small  body  of  water  forming  it,  it  is  shivered  by  the 
wind  into  spray  like  dust  long  before  it  reaches  the  bottom, 
whence  its  name,  literally,  Dust-fall. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


305 


Strangers  who  expect  in  the  Staubbach  the  rushing  and 
roaring  rapidity  of  a cataract  will  here  be  disappointed ; but, 
in  the  opinion  of  many,  this  want  is  atoned  for  by  other 
beauties  peculiar  to  this  fall.  The  friction  of  the  rock,  and 
the  resistance  of  the  air,  retard  the  descent  of  the  water, 
giving  it  the  appearance  of  a beautiful  lace  veil  suspended 
from  the  precipice,  and  imitating  in  its  center  the  folds  of 
the  drapery.  In  winter,  when  the  torrent  is  nearly  arrested 
by  the  frost,  a vast  pyramid  of  ice  is  formed  by  the  drip- 
ping of  the  water  from  above,  increasing  gradually  upward 
in  the  manner  of  a stalagmite,  until  the  colossal  icicle 
reaches  nearly  half-way  up  the  precipice. 

The  narrow  stream  which  afterward  swells  into  the 
Kauder  river,  experiences  a series  of  remarkable  cataracts  or 
shoots  in  the  Gemnxi  pass,  also  in  Switzerland.  The  Gemini 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  passes  across  the  Alps,  though 
its  scenery  is  rather  extraordinary  than  grand.  The  path 
along  the  side  of  the  valley  is  the  most  perilous  of  all  Alpine 
roads.  Its  zigzags  have  been  very  ingeniously  contrived, 
for  in  many  places  the  rocks  overhang  the  path,  and  an 
upper  terrace  projects  farther  out  than  the  one  immediately 
below  it.  Down  one  of  the  sides  of  this  valley  the  Kauder 
leaps  at  irregular  intervals,  forming  a sight  as  beautiful  as 
the  surrounding  scenery  is  magnificent. 

The  valley  of  Chamouni,  above  which  towers  Mont 
Blanc,  the  monarch  of  mountains,  is  beautifully  situated 
and  possesses  much  attractive  scenery.  From  it  many 
excursions  may  be  taken  in  every  direction,  none  of  which 
lack  the  flavor  of  excitement.  Glaciers,  torrents,  cascades, 
and  cataracts  exist  in  profusion.  From  the  Breven,  a 
point  about  5,000  feet  above  Chamouni,  a full  view  of 
Mont  Blanc  can  be  obtained,  from  foot  to  summit. 

The  river  Clairee  rushes  down  the  valley  in  the  side  of 
Mont  Cenis  and  drops  into  a deep  basin  by  a sharp  cascade; 
and  then  it  boils  and  fills  the  whole  valley  with  vapor.  On 
descending  the  precipice  to  the  lower  valley,  one  can  look 


306 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


back  and  see  the  numerous  streams  of  the  Clair6e  from  their 
starting  point  on  the  summit,  as  if  they  had  issued  from  the 
sky ; and  the  white  lines  of  the  torrent  are  traceable  through 
three  or  four  thousand  feet  of  their  descent. 


CXI.— BRITISH  CHURCHES. 

Among  the  most  noted  of  the  church  edifices  of  England 
and  Scotland  is  Glasgow  Cathedral.  Its  great  age,  of  nearly 
eight  hundred  years,  entitles  it  to  rank  as  one  of  the  parent 
specimens  of  English  architecture.  The  town  of  Glasgow 
itself,  has  grown  up  around  the  Cathedral,  like  a thicket  cf 
young  oaks  around  a common  ancestor.  Both  spiritually 
and  tangibly,  the  town  spreads  from  that  hilly  spot  on 
which  the  Cathedral  stands. 

The  “ High  Church/5  by  which  appellation  the  Cathedral 
is  mostly  known  to  the  inhabitants  of  Glasgow,  is  built 
upon  a plot  of  ground  about  a hundred  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  Clyde.  The  greatest  internal  length  of  the  building 
is  about  320  feet;  the  breadth,  63 ; the  height  of  the  nave, 
85  feet ; and  of  the  choir,  90.  It  is  supported  by  147  pillars, 
and  is  lighted  by  157  windows,  many  of  which,  in  the  deco- 
rated style  of  pointed  architecture,  are  of  great  beauty. 
There  are  indications  that  the  building  was  intended  to 
have  had  the  form  of  a cross,  but  such  is  not  its  present 
form.  From  the  center  of  the  roof,  where  the  “ crossing 55 
would  be,  rises  a beautiful  tower,  the  spire  of  which  has  an 
altitude  of  225  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  choir. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


307 


After  the  Reformation,  when  the  form  of  Divine  service 
no  longer  required  the  magnificent  vistas  of  the  old  cathe- 
drals, the  choir,  or  eastern  division,  was  alone  used  as  a 
church ; but,  as  the  wants  of  the  Protestants  increased,  the 
western  division,  or  nave,  was  also  fitted  up  as  a distinct 
church.  Glasgow  Cathedral  is  the  only  existing  specimen 
of  that  kind  of  sacred  structure  still  used  and  in  good  con- 
dition in  Scotland,  excepting  that  of  Kirkwall  in  the  Ork- 
neys ; all  the  others  were  more  or  less  mutilated  or  destroyed 
at  the  Reformation. 

Exeter  Cathedral  is  the  chief  object  of  attraction  in  the 
town  of  Exeter,  where  it  is  situated.  Though  inferior  in 
grandeur  to  a few  other  of  the  English  churches,  it  is  one 
of  the  finest  of  the  second-class,  $nd  in  some  respects  it  is 
unique.  The  oldest  part  of  the  present  edifice  was  erected 
early  in  the  twelfth  century.  In  1112,  William  Warlewast, 
one  of  the  Normans  who  followed  William  the  Conqueror 
to  England,  and  whom  that  monarch  had  created  third 
bishop  of  Exeter,  laid  the  first  stone  of  the  cathedral;  but 
it  was  not  completed  till  near  the  close  of  the  century. 

The  entire  length  of  the  building  is  408  feet,  and  the 
towers  are  145  feet  high.  These  are  Norman — square  and 
similar  in  size,  their  surfaces  being  covered  with  blank 
arcades,  and  other  Norman  ornaments.  The  remainder  of 
the  cathedral  is  of  what  is  known  as  the  decorative  style  of 
English  architecture ; and  the  numerous  windows,  with 
their  flowing  tracery,  are  among  the  finest  examples  of  that 
rich  style. 

Durham  Cathedral,  founded  in  1093,  and  one  of  the 
noblest  edifices  in  the  kingdom,  is  507  feet  in  length,  by 
200  in  breadth,  and  has  a central  tower  214  feet  high.  It 
is  chiefly  of  Norman  architecture,  and  contains  the  tomb 
of  St.  Cuthbert,  the  chapel  of  the  Venerable  Bede,  a Galilee 
chapel,  and  two  richly  ornamented  towers,  143  feet  in  height. 
The  cathedral  was  long  noted  for  being  the  center  of  the 
richest  bishopric  in  England.  Its  revenue  formerly 


308  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

- - " -/ 

amounted  to  about  $100,000,  annually;  but  its  arrange- 
ments were  materially  altered  by  the  fixing  of  the  bishop’s 
income  by  the  commissioners.  This  edifice  affords  a graphic 
illustration  of  the  gradual  changes  in  the  English  style  of 
architecture  between  the  tenth  and  fifteenth  centuries. 

Among  the  ruins  of  British  churches,  Melrose  Abbey, 
situated  about  thirty-six  miles  south  of  Edinburgh,  has 
attained  a merited  distinction.  Its  site  was  formerly  occu- 
pied by  a Cistercian  Abbey,  which  was  destroyed  by  the 
English  under  Edward  II,  but  was  subsequently  rebuilt  by 
Robert  Bruce.  The  heart  of  that  monarch,  after  haying 
been  carried  to  Spain  by  Douglas,  was,  on  the  death  of  that 
earl,  brought  home  and  buried  beneath  the  high  altar.  The 
abbey  was  completed  by  James  IV,  but  was  again  destroyed 
by  the  English  in  1545.  Although  this  fine  building  suf- 
fered considerably  from  the  hands  of  the  Reformers,  the 
main  cause  of  its  present  ruinous  condition  must  be  traced 
to  the  carelessness  and  depredations  of  later  times,  when 
the  stones  were  frequently  carried  off  and  employed  in 
building  other  edifices. 

Its  architecture  more  nearly  approaches  to  Continental 
structures,  especially  Strasbourg  Cathedral ; and  the  whole 
building  is  profusely  ornamented  with  rich  and  exquisite 
carved  work.  Some  of  the  piers  are  crowned  with  foliage, 
so  delicately  chiseled  that  a straw  may  be  thrust  in  between 
the  various  stalks  and  leaves.  The  eastern  window  is 
much  admired  for  the  symmetry  of  its  form,  and  the  rich- 
ness and  delicacy  of  its  ornaments. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


309 


CXIL— LAKE  AND  RIVER. 

Geneva  Lake  has  been  beautifully  described  by  Byron  in 
the  following  lines : 

“ Clear,  placid  Leman ! thy  contrasted  lake, 

With  the  wild  world  I dwelt  in,  is  a thing 
Which  warns  me,  with  its  stillness,  to  forsake 
Earth’s  troubled  waters  for  a purer  spring. 

This  quiet  sail  is  as  a noiseless  wing 
To  waft  me  from  distraction ; once  I loved 
Torn  ocean’s  roar,  but  thy  soft  murmuring 
Sounds  sweet  as  if  a sister’s  voice  reproved, 

That  I with  stern  delights  should  e'er  have  been  so  moved. 

It  is  the  hush  of  night,  and  all  between 
Thy  margin  and  the  mountains,  dusk,  yet  clear, 

Mellowed  and  mingling,  yet  distinctly  seen, 

Save  darkened  Jura,  whose  capt  heights  appear 
Precipitously  steep:  and  drawing  near, 

There  breathes  a living  fragrance  from  the  shore, 

Of  flowers  yet  fresh  with  childhood ; on  the  ear 
Drops  the  light  drip  of  the  suspended  oar, 

Or  chirps  the  grasshopper  one  good-night  carol  more. 

At  intervals,  some  bird  from  out  the  brakes 
Starts  into  voice  a moment,  then  is  still, 

There  seems  a floating  whisper  on  the  hill, 

But  that  is  fancy, — for  the  starlight  dews 
All  silently  their  tears  of  love  instill, 

Weeping  themselves  away.”  * * * 

Geneva  Lake,  called  by  the  Romans  Lacus  Lemanus,  has 
nearly  the  shape  of  a half-moon,  its  horns  being  turned 
toward  the  south.  It  is  the  largest  lake  in  Switzerland, 
and  is  never  frozen  over,  owing  to  its  great  depth.  Though 
it  wants  the  gloomy  sublimity  of  the  bay  of  Uri  and  the 


310  THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

sunny  softness  of  the  Italian  lakes,  with  their  olive  and 
citron  groves,  it  has  peculiar  charms  of  its  own.  There  is 
a great  variety  of  scenery  in  its  neighborhood ; the  vine- 
covered  slopes  of  Vaud  contrast  well  with  the  abrupt  preci- 
pices of  Savoy.  Near  Geneva,  the  hills  subside,  admitting- 
an  exquisite  view  of  Mont  Blanc,  whose  snowy  summit, 
though  sixty  miles  distant,  is  often  reflected  in  its  waters. 

The  praise  of  the  river  Bhine  has  been  often  celebrated 
in  prose  and  verse : 

“ Adieu  to  thee,  fair  Rhine  ! How  long  delighted 
The  stranger  fain  would  linger  on  his  way  ! 

Thine  is  a scene  alike  where  souls  united 
Or  lonely  contemplation  thus  might  stray ; 

And  could  the  ceaseless  vultures  cease  to  prey 
On  self-condemning  bosoms,  it  were  here, 

Where  nature,  nor  too  sombre,  nor  too  gay, 

Wild  but  not  rude,  awful  yet  not  austere, 

Is  to  the  mellow  earth  as  autumn  to  the  year.” 

So  sang  the  lone  spirit  of  Byron’s  creation,  and  many 
travelers  have  since  echoed  in  one  way  and  another  the 
words  of  the  poet.  The  Bhine  is  distinguished  alike  by  the 
beauty  of  its  scenery  and  the  rich  fields  and  vineyards  that 
clothe  its  banks.  No  river  in  Germany  attracts  so  many 
tourists.  Pleasant  towns  and  villages  lie  nestled  at  the  foot 
of  lofty  hills  ; above  them,  on  all  sides,  rise  rocky  steeps  and 
slopes  clothed  with  vines;  and  every  now  and  then  the 
castles  and  fortresses  of  feudal  times  are  seen  frowning  from 
precipices  apparently  inaccessible. 

Among  the  latter  may  be  mentioned  the  castle  of  Stolzen- 
fels,  finely  placed  on  a jutting  rock  overlooking  the  river. 
Its  picturesque  outline  and  commanding  position  seem  to 
justify  its  name  of  the  “ Proud  Bock,”  and  render  it  one  of 
the  most  imposing  feudal  remains  on  the  Bhine. 

It  is  about  twenty  miles  above  Cologne  that  the  glories 
of  the  Bhine  commence  with  the  beautiful  cluster  of 
mountains  called  the  Siebengebirge. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


311 


Cologne  itself  is  the  largest  and  wealthiest  city  on  the 
river,  having  a population  of  over  125,000.  It  is  also  a very 
ancient  city,  having  owed  its  existence  to  a Roman  colonia 
(Cologne)  sent  hither  by  the  mother  of  the  Emperor  Nero. 

The  principal  object  of  interest  in  the  town  is  the  cathe- 
dral, which  we  have  described  elsewhere.  Cologne  is 
connected  by  a bridge  of  boats  with  the  village  of  Deutz  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  Rhine. 


CXIII.— 1 THE  SOLDIER  OF  BINGEN. 

A soldier  of  the  Legion  lay  dying  in  Algiers, 

There  was  lack  of  woman’s  nursing,  there  was  dearth  of  woman’s  tears. 
But  a comrade  stood  beside  him,  while  his  life-blood  ebbed  away, 

And  bent,  with  pitying  glance,  to  hear  what  he  might  say : 

The  dying  soldier  faltered,  as  lie  took  that  comrade’s  hand, 

And  he  said,  “ I never  more  shall  see  my  own,  my  native  land ; 

Take  a message  and  a token  to  some  distant  friends  of  mine, 

For  I was  born  at  Bingen— at  Bingen  on  the  Rhine. 

“ Tell  my  brothers  and  companions  when  they  meet  and  crowd  around, 
To  hear  my  mournful  story,  in  the  pleasant  vineyard  ground, 

That  we  fought  the  battle  bravely,  and  when  the  day  was  done, 

Full  many  a corse  lay  ghastly  pale  beneath  the  setting  sun; 

And  ’mid  the  dead  and  dying,  were  some  grown  old  in  wars, — 

The  death-wound  on  their  gallant  breasts,  the  last  of  many  scars ; 

And  some  were  young,  and  suddenly  beheld  life’s  morn  decline, — 

And  one  had  come  from  Bingen — fair  Bingen  on  the  Rhine. 

“ Tell  my  mother  that  her  other  sons  shall  comfort  her  old  age; 

For  I was  still  a truant  bird  that  thought  his  home  a cage. 

For  my  father  was  a soldier,  and  even  as  a child 

My  heart  leaped  forth  to  hear  him  tell  of  struggles  fierce  and  wild; 


312 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


And  when  he  died  and  left  us  to  divide  his  scanty  hoard, 

I let  them  take  whate’er  they  would,  but  kept  my  father’s  sword ; 

And  with  boyish  love  I hung  it  where  the  bright  light  used  to  shine 
On  the  cottage  wall  at  Bingen — calm  Bingen  on  the  Rhine. 

“Tell  my  sister  not  to  weep  for  me,  and  sob  with  drooping  head, 

When  the  troops  come  marching  home  again,  with  glad  and  gallant  tread; 
But  to  look  upon  them  proudly,  with  a calm  and  steadfast  eye, 

For  her  brother  was  a soldier,  too,  and  not  afraid  to  die ; 

And  if  a comrade  seek  her  love,  I ask  her  in  my  name, 

To  listen  to  him  kindly  without  regret  or  shame ; 

And  to  hang  the  old  sword  in  its  place  (my  father’s  sword  and  mine). 

For  the  honor  of  old  Bingen — dear  Bingen  on  the  Rhine. 

“There’s  another — not  a sister ; in  the  happy  hours  gone  by; 

You’d  have  known  her  by  the  merriment  that  sparkled  in  her  eye  ; 

Too  innocent  for  coquetry — too  fond  for  idle  scorning, — 

0,  friend  ! I fear  the  lightest  heart  makes  sometimes  heaviest  mcurning. 
Tell  her  the  last  night  of  my  life — (for  ere  the  moon  lie  risen 
My  body  will  be  out  of  pain,  my  soul  be  out  of  prison) — 

I dreamed  I stood  with  her  and  saw  the  yellow  sunlight  shine 
On  the  vine-clad  hills  of  Bingen — fair  Bingen  on  the  Rhine. 

“ I saw  the  blue  Rhine  sweep  along — I heard  or  seemed  to  hear 
The  German  songs  we  used  to  sing,  in  chorus  sweet  and  clear ; 

And  down  th  * pleasant  river,  and  up  the  slanting  hill, 

The  echoing  chorus  sounded,  through  the  evening  calm  and  still. 

And  her  glad  blue  eyes  were  on  me,  as  we  passed  with  friendly  talk, 
Down  many  a path  beloved  of  yore,  and  well-remembered  walk ! 

And  her  little  hand  lay  lightly,  confidingly  in  mine, — 

But  we’ll  meet  no  more  at  Bingen — loved  Bingen  on  the  Rhine.” 

His  trembling  voice  grew  faint  and  hoarse — his  grasp  was  childish  weak— 
His  eyes  put  on  a dying  look — he  sighed,  and  ceased  to  speak; 

Ilis  comrade  bent  to  lift  him,  but  the  spark  of  life  had  fled, — 

The  soldier  of  the  Legion  in  a foreign  land  was  dead  ! 

And  the  soft  moon  rose  up  slowly,  and  calmly  she  looked  down 
On  the  red  sand  of  the  battle-field,  with  bloody  corses  strewn  ; 

Yes,  calmly  on  that  dreadful  scene  her  pale  light  seemed  to  shine, 

As  it  shone  on  distant  Bingen — fair  Bingen  on  the  Rhine, 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


813 


CXIV.— HUDSON  AND  JAMES  RIVERS. 

As  a commercial  channel,  probably  no  riyer  in  the  United 
States  of  equal  extent  is  so  important  as  the  Hudson. 
Situated  in  the  most  thickly  settled  part  of  the  country, 
and  connecting  the  two  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany — 
one  the  metropolis  and  the  other  the  capital  of  the  Empire 
State — it  offers  the  best  of  facilities  for  transportation  of 
merchandise  and  for  incidental  travel.  Upward  of  seventy 
sail- vessels,  all  moving  at  the  same  time,  have  been  counted 
from  a single  point  of  observation  on  its  banks. 

A great  number  of  steamboats,  many  of  them  of  immense 
size,  also  ply  between  New  York,  Albany,  and  the  inter- 
mediate places.  Some  of  these  are  among  the  most  splendid 
water-craft  in  the  world.  Thirty-five  years  ago,  there  were 
only  twenty-two  sailing  vessels  navigating  the  Hudson.  In 
1852  this  number  had  increased  to  569,  and  the  total  num- 
ber of  vessels  plying  on  its  waters  was  807.  The  first  suc- 
cessful attempt  at  propelling  crafts  by  steam  was  made  upon 
the  waters  of  this  river  by  Robert  Fulton  in  1808. 

The  Hudson  derived  its  name  from  Henry  Hudson,  a 
Dutch  navigator,  who  ascended  it  in  1607.  It  rises  in  the 
Adirondack  mountains,  and  its  entire  length  is  about  300 
miles.  Its  scenery  is  in  the  highest  degree  picturesque,  and 
in  some  places  sublime.  The  banks  are  generally  elevated, 
and  not  unfrequently  rise  to  lofty  eminences,  many  of  which 
are  rocky  and  precipitous.  At  the  passage  of  the  Highlands, 
52  miles  above  New  York,  the  view  is  eminently  grand  and 
imposing.  On  the  west  shore,  about  30  miles  below,  com- 
mence what  are  called  the  “ Palisades,”  a remarkable  range 
of  trap-rock,  which  rises  perpendicularly  from  the  margin 
14 


314 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


of  the  river  nearly  500  feet,  and  extends  18  or  20  miles  down 
the  stream. 

At  the  northern  end  of  the  Highlands  there  is  an  emi- 
nence called  Breakneck  Hill,  which  is  1,187  feet  in  height, 
and  terminates  in  the  promontory  of  St.  Anthony’s  Nose. 
From  its  summit  the  prospect  is  charming.  Below  lies  the 
river — at  that  distance,  seemingly  a placid,  currentless  body 
of  water.  Afar  looms  up  from  its  bosom  the  rounded  top 
of  Polypps  Island ; while  a thousand  feet  beneath  winds  the 
serpentine  track  of  the  Hudson  River  Railway. 

West  Point,  the  seat  of  the  United  States  Military  Acad- 
emy, is  on  the  Highlands,  and  for  its  natural  scenery  is 
unsurpassed  in  the  country.  The  buildings  of  the  Academy 
occupy  a plateau  nearly  200  feet  above  the  Hudson,  and 
cover  an  area  of  about  one  mile.  As  the  visitor  sits  in  the 
piazza  of  the  hotel,  which  stands  on  the  brow  of  the  third 
plateau,  he  has  before  him,  toward  the  north,  the  finest 
known  pass  in  any  river  in  the  world.  Toward  the  east 
are  beautiful  promenades  on  the  summit  of  the  rocks  that 
overlook  the  river.  The  view  from  the  ruins  of  old  Port 
Putnam  is  perhaps  unequaled  in  its  peculiar  beauties. 

The  James  River  occupies  nearly  the  same  position  toward 
Virginia  that  the  Hudson  does  to  New  York.  Its  length 
is  450  miles,  and  it  is  navigable  for  vessels  of  light  tonnage 
to  Richmond,  the  State  capital.  James  River  passes  through 
a fertile  and  populous  country,  and  is  an  important  channel 
of  trade.  Its  banks  are  generally  low  and  heavily  wooded. 
During  the  late  war  the  river,  near  its  mouth,  was  the  scene 
of  many  naval  encounters,  among  which  its  most  prominent 
was  that  of  the  “ Monitor”  and  “ Merrimack.” 


THE  WOBLD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


315 


CXV. — BOSTON. 

The  city  of  Boston  is  the  second  in  importance  of  our 
seaports,  and  has  been  a great  commercial  center  since  1740. 
Its  facilities  for  communication  on  land  and  sea  are  unsur- 
passed. Boston  Harbor,  with  a surface  area  of  75  square 
miles,  affords  good  anchorage  for  yessels  of  the  largest  class. 
It  is  easy  of  access,  free  from  sand-bars,  and  seldom 
obstructed  with  ice.  As  a natural  consequence,  these 
advantages  have  been  improved,  and  to-day  the  wharves  and 
warehouses  of  Boston  are  on  a scale  of  magnitude  un- 
rivaled by  those  of  any  other  city  of  equal  population. 

The  docks  and  wharves  of  old  Boston,  taken  together, 
make  up  an  aggregate  length  of  over  five  miles.  Many  of 
them  are  stupendous  structures.  Long  Wharf,  lined  with 
spacious  warehouses,  extends  into  the  harbor  1,800  feet. 

One  of  the  oldest  public  buildings  in  the  country  is 
Faneuil  Hall,*  the  “ Cradle  of  Liberty,”  as  it  is  called.  Here 
the  orators  Hancock  and  Adams  roused  the  people  to  resist- 
ance of  British  oppression  in  the  early  colonial  days.  The 
structure  is  situated  in  Dock  square,  and  is  100  feet  long,  80 
feet  wide,  and  three  stories  high.  It  was  originally 
commenced  in  1740,  by  Peter  Faneuil,  who  gave  it  to  the 
town.  The  room  in  which  meetings  are  held  is  76  feet  square 
and  adorned  with  portraits  of  eminent  Americans.  Over  the 
hall  is  a room  used  by  the  city  militia  companies  for  drill. 

In  the  center  of  the  grounds  included  within  the  Federal 
redoubt  on  Breed’s  Hill,  now  stands  the  obelisk  known  as 
Bunker  Hill  Monument.  It  is  a square  shaft,  built  of 
Quincey  granite,  221  feet  high,  31  feet  square  at  the  base, 
and  15  at  the  top.  Inside  of  the  shaft  is  a round,  hollow 
cone,  encircled  by  a winding  staircase  of  294  stone  steps 


31G 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


leading  to  the  summit.  The  monument  was  completed  in 
1842,  its  entire  expense  haying  been  oyer  $150,000 ; and  in 
the  next  year  it  was  dedicated,  Webster  being  the  orator, 
and  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  his  whole 
cabinet  forming  a part  of  the  yast  audience. 

The  “ Common”  is  a beautiful  park  in  Old  Boston, 
containing  nearly  fifty  acres,  and  embracing  almost  every 
variety  of  surface,  from  the  level  plat  to  the  gentle  slope 
and  abrupt  ascent.  Towering  elms,  some  of  which  are  a 
century  old,  enclose  the  borders,  while  within,  graded  walks, 
beautifully  shaded,  intersect  each  other  in  every  direction. 
A fountain  in  the  center  of  the  Common  sends  up  its  crys- 
tal stream,  whirling  and  sparkling,  60  or  10  feet  into  the  air. 


CXYI— OLD  IRONSIDES. 

Ay  ! tear  her  tattered  ensign  down; 

Long  has  it  waved  on  high, 

And  many  an  eye  has  danced  to  see 
That  banner  in  the  sky ; 

Beneath  it  rung  the  battle-shont, 

And  burst  the  cannon’s  roar ; 

The  meteor  of  the  ocean  air 

Shall  sweep  the  clouds  no  more. 

Her  deck  once  red  with  heroes’  blood, 
Where  knelt  the  vanquished  foe, 

When  winds  were  hurrying  o’er  the  flood, 
And  waves  were  white  below, 

No  more  shall  feel  the  victor’s  tread, 

Or  know  the  conquered  knee, 

The  harpies  of  the  shore  shall  pluck 
The  eagle  of  the  sea ! 


THE  WOELD  IK  THE  STEEEOSCOPE.  317 

O,  better  that  her  shattered  hulk 
Should  sink  beneath  the  wave ; 

Her  thunders  shook  the  mighty  deep. 

And  there  should  be  her  grave. 

Hail  to  the  mast  her  holy  flag, 

Set  every  threadbare  sail, 

And  give  her  to  the  god  of  storms. 

The  lightning  and  the. gale  ! * 


CXVIL— NORTH  AMERICAN  INMANS. 

The  tribes  inhabiting  the  continent  of  America  before  the 
advent  of  the  white  races  from  Europe,  are  by  some  con- 
sidered an  aboriginal  and  single  stock,  by  others  a mixture 
of  Mongolian,  Polynesian,  and  Caucasian  types,  and  by 
others  as  the  grafting  of  old  world  races  on  a true  Ameri- 
can race.  Their  physical  characteristics  are  as  follows  : 
Skin  brown,  or  cinnamon-colored ; hair  long,  black,  and 
straight ; beard  scanty ; eyes  deep  seated ; nose  broad  but 
prominent ; lips  full  and  rounded ; and  face  broad  across 
the  cheeks,  which  are  prominent,  but  less  angular  than  in 
the  Mongolian,  and  with  the  features  distinct.  The  gen- 
eral shape  of  the  head  is  square,  with  low  but  broad  fore- 
head, back  of  head  flattened,  top  elevated,  face  much  devel- 
oped, and  powerful  jaws. 

Though  active  and  agile  in  sports  and  pursuits  of  short 
duration,  the  Indian  is  inferior  to  the  white  race  in  labors 
requiring  compactness  of  muscle  and  long-endured  exer- 
tion ; they  can  not  endure  so  much  fatigue,  nor  carry  such 
heavy  burdens  as  the  Canadian  voyageurs  ; and  in  ttr  bor- 
der warfare  between  the  savages  and  whites,  the  former 


318 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


generally  were  conquered  in  the  close  hug  of  mortal  com- 
bat. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  settlement  of  America  by  the 
whites,  the  character  of  the  Indian  was  much  different,  and 
in  many  respects  superior,  to  that  of  to-day.  Then  he  was 
of  haughty  demeanor,  taciturn  and  stoical  to  the  last  degree, 
cunning  and  watchful  in  the  surprise,  persevering  in  the 
pursuit,  and  revengeful  in  the  destruction  of  his  enemies ; 
cruel  to  prisoners  of  war,  without  regard  to  age  or  sex,  and 
when  himself  a captive  enduring  the  most  painful  tortures 
without  a murmur,  and  with  such  martyr-like  fortitude  as 
would  seem  impossible  to  more  impressionable  natures  with- 
out the  sustaining  power  of  Christian  faith ; brave  and  too 
often  ferocious  in  war;  idle  and  grave  in  peace,  except  when 
engaged  in  hunting  and  amusements ; hospitable  and  grate- 
ful for  favors ; of  necessity  a close  observer  of  natural  phe- 
nomena, his  temperament  poetic  and  imaginative,  and  his 
simple  eloquence  of  great  dignity  and  beauty  of  expression. 

As  a race,  however,  the  animal  propensities  strongly  pre- 
ponderate over  the  intellectual,  and  render  their  civiliza- 
tion, even  with  the  help  of  education  and  Christianity,  an 
event  hardly  to  be  hoped  for.  So  much  so  is  this  the  case? 
that  while  they  are  almost  inaccessible  to  the  finer  influ- 
ences of  society,  they  readily  contract  all  the  vices  that  are 
unhappily  connected  with  it.  The  Indians  of  this  country 
are  now  mostly  confined  to  the  region  lying  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  having  been  driven  thither  by  the  loss  of  their 
forests  and  hunting  grounds,  which  have  been  converted 
into  cities  and  cultivated  districts  by  the  whites. 

In  the  Northwest  the  principal  tribe  seems  to  be  the 
Chippewas,  who  are  in  general  more  peaceable  than  fnany 
of  their  brethren.  Yet,  even  now,  civilization,  with  tireless 
foot,  is  pressing  on,  and  these,  with  all  the  rest,  will  in  time 
be  exterminated  or  compelled  to  go  to  the  great  forests  of 
the  North. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


319 


CXVIII.— THE  NOETHWEST. 

Much  of  that  part  of  the  United  States  known  as  “the 
Northwest,”  and  generally  understood  as  comprising  the 
States  of  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin,  contains  objects  of 
interest  in  works  of  nature  and  man  that  are  well  worthy 
of  our  notice.  The  land,  for  the  most  part,  is  extremely 
fertile,  and  to  that  is  due  the  fact  of  its  rapid  settlement 
and  growth  during  the  past  few  years.  Being  situated  also 
at  some  distance  from  the  great  centers  of  commerce,  it  has 
had  occasion  to  produce  cities  of  its  own,  and  that  of  no 
mean  size,  which  are  in  a measure  independent  of  the  older 
marts.  St.  Paul,  the  capital  and  metropolis  of  Minnesota, 
has  a population  of  25,000,  which  is  each  year  greatly 
increasing. 

A few  miles  above  St.  Paul,  on  the  Mississippi  river,  is 
the  town  of  Minneapolis,  which  has  already  attained  great 
importance  from  its  manufacturing  interests.  Eor  these 
the  most  abundant  facilities  are  afforded  by  the  Falls  of  St. 
Anthony  and  Minnehaha  in  the  neighborhood.  The  latter 
has  justly  acquired  a celebrity  for  beauty  and  picturesque- 
ness and  become  widely  famous  through  the  beautiful  poem 
of  Mr.  Longfellow. 

Minneapolis  contains  about  15,000  inhabitants,  and  like 
its  neighbor,  St.  Paul,  is  growing.  The  fall  in  the  river  at 
this  point  is  sixty-four  feet,  furnishing  120,000  horse- 
power— more  than  enough  to  drive  every  mill-wheel  and 
factory  in  New  England.  Six  million  dollars  have  already 
been  invested  in  manufacturing  at  this  point.  The  only 
difficulty  to  be  encountered  is  the  preservation  of  the  falls 
in  their  present  position.  Beneath  the  slate  rock,  over 
which  the  torrent  pours,  is  a layer  of  soft  sandstone  which 


320 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


rapidly  wears  away.  Measures  have  been  taken,  however,  to 
preserve  the  cataract  in  its  present  condition,  by  construct- 
ing an  apron  to  carry  the  waters  some  distance  beyond  the 
verge  of  the  falls,  and  thus  prevent  the  breaking  of  the 
rock. 

No  one  can  look  at  the  natural  advantages  of  Minneapolis 
without  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  to  be  one  of  the 
great  manufacturing  cities  of  the  world  if  the  fails  can  be~^ 
kept  in  their  present  position.  Cotton  can  be  loaded  upon 
steamers  at  Memphis  and  discharged  at  St.  Paul.  The 
climate  here  is  exceedingly  favorable  for  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  goods. 

It  is  only  a short  ride  to  St.  Anthony,  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  river,  where  we  behold  the  Mississippi  roaring 
and  tumbling  over  the  slate-stone  ledges,  and  hear  the  buz- 
zing and  humming  of  the  machinery  of  the  saw-mills.  St. 
Anthony  was  one  of  the  earliest  settled  towns  in  the  State. 
Its  projectors  were  Southern  men.  Streets  were  laid  out, 
stores  erected,  a great  hotel  built,  and  extravagant  prices 
asked  for  land ; but  the  owners  of  Minneapolis  offered  lots 
at  cheaper  rates,  and  found  purchasers.  The  war  came  on, 
and  the  proprietors  of  St.  Anthony  being  largely  from  the 
South,  the  place  ceased  to  grow,  while  its  rival  on  the 
western  shore  moved  steadily  onward  in  a prosperous  career. 
But  St.  Anthony  is  again  advancing,  for  many  gentlemen 
doing  business  in  Minneapolis  reside  there.  The  interests 
of  the  two  places  are  now  identical  and  will  advance 
together. 

The  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  unlike  those  of  Minnehaha, 
are  broken  in  several  cascades,  making  them  almost  what 
might  be  termed  rapids. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


CXIX.— THE  INDIANS. 

Yet  while,  by  life’s  endearments  crowned. 

To  mark  this  day  we  gather  round, 

And  to  our  nation’s  founders  raise 
The  voice  of  gratitude  and  praise. 

Shall  not  one  line  lament  that  lion  race, 

For  us  struck  out  from  sweet  creation’s  face  ? 

Alas,  alas  for  them  ! — those  fated  bands, 

Whose  monarch  tread  was  on  these  broad,  green  landa, 
Our  fathers  called  them  savage, — them,  whose  bread 
In  the  dark  hour  those  famished  fathers  fed. 

We  call  them  savage.  O,  be  just! 

Their  outraged  feelings  scan, 

A voice  comes  forth, — ’tis  from  the  dust, — 

The  savage  was  a man  ! 

Think  ye  he  loved  not  ? Who  stood  by. 

And  in  his  toils  took  part  ? 

Woman  was  there  to  bless  his  eye, — 

The  savage  had  a heart ! 

Think  ye  he  prayed  not  ? When  on  high 
He  heard  the  thunder’s  roll, 

What  bade  him  look  beyond  the  sky  ? 

The  savage  had  a soul ! 

I venerate  the  Pilgrim’s  cause, 

Yet  for  the  red  man  dare  to  plead; 

We  bow  to  Heaven’s  recorded  laws, 

He  turned  to  Nature  for  a creed; 

Beneath  the  pillared  dome. 

We  seek  our  God  in  prayer; 

Through  boundless  woods  he  loved  to  roam, 

And  the  Great  Spirit  worshipped  there. 

But  one,  one  fellow-throb  with  us  he  felt ; 

To  one  divinity  with  us  he  knelt; 

Freedom,  the  self-same  freedom  we  adore, 

Bade  him  defend  hi3  violated  shore. 


322 


THE  WORLD  IN  TEE  STEREOSCOPE, 


He  saw  the  cloud  ordained  to  grow 
And  burst  upon  his  hills  in  woe ; 

He  saw  his  people  withering  die, 

Beneath  the  invader’s  evil  eye  ; 

Strange  feet  were  trampling  on  his  father’s  bones; 
At  midnight  hour  he  woke  to  gaze 
Upon  his  happy  cabin’s  blaze, 

And  listen  to  his  children’s  dying  groans. 


He  saw,  and,  maddening  at  the  sight, 

Gave  his  cold  bosom  to  the  fight; 

To  tiger -rage  his  sonl  was  driven ; 

Mercy  was  not,  or  sought,  or  given; 

The  pale  man  from  his  lands  must  fly, — 

He  would  be  free,  or  he  would  die. 

Alas  for  them  ! their  day  is  o’er. 

Their  fires  are  out  from  hill  and  shore ; 

Ho  more  for  them  the  wild  deer  bounds  ; 

The  plough  is  on  their  hunting  grounds ; 

The  pale  man’s  axe  rings  through  their  woods; 
The  pale  man’s  sail  skims  o’er  their  floods ; 

Their  pleasant  springs  are  dry ; • 

Their  children, — look  1 by  power  oppressed, 
Beyond  the  mountains  of  the  west 
Their  children  go — to  die  ! 

O,  doubly  lost ! Oblivion’s  shadows  close 
Around  their  triumphs  and  their  woes. 

On  other  realms,  whose  suns  have  set, 

Reflected  radiance  lingers  yet ; 

There  sage  and  bard  have  shed  a light, 

That  never  shall  go  down  in  night ; 

There  time-crowned  columns  stand  on  high, 

To  tell  of  them  who  cannot  die ; 

Even  we,  who  then  were  nothing,  kneel 
In  homage  there,  and  join  earth’s  general  peal. 
But  the  doomed  Indian  leaves  behind  no  trace 
To  save  his  own  or  serve  another  race ; 

With  his  frail  breath  his  power  lias  passed  away; 
His  deeds,  his  thoughts,  are  buried  with  his  clay ; 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


323 


Nor  lofty  pile,  nor  glowing  page 
Shall  link  him  to  a future  age, 

Or  give  him  with  the  past  a rank ; 

His  heraldry  is  but  a broken  bow, 

His  history  but  a tale  of  wrong  and  woe, — . 

His  yery  name  must  be  a blank. 

Cold,  with  the  beast  he  slew,  he  sleeps  ; 

O’er  him  no  filial  spirit  weeps ; 

No  crowds  throng  round,  no  anthem  notes  ascend, 
To  bless  his  coming  and  embalm  his  end ; 

Even  that  he  lived,  is  for  his  conqueror’s  tongue ; 
By  foes  alone  his  death-song  must  be  sung; 

No  chronicles  but  their’s  shall  tell 
His  mournful  doom  to  future  times  ; 

May  these  upon  his  virtues  dwell, 

And  in  his  fate  forget  his  crimes. 


cxx.— SINAI  AND  PALESTINE. 

The  Scripture  associations  connected  with  the  land  o: 
the  Jews  are  extremely  numerous,  but  it  is  only  possible  for 
a few  to  be  noticed,  and  that  briefly,  in  our  limited  space. 
The  beaten  track  for  English  travelers  to  Syria  is  from 
Egypt  through  the  peninsula  of  Sinai.'  This  region, 
whether  viewed  physically  or  historically,  is  one  of  singular 
interest.  Sterile,  wild,  sublime  in  its  scenery,  it  forms  a 
striking  contrast  to  Palestine.  Its  plains  are  dreary  and 
destitute  of  verdure  •'  its  valleys  are  covered  with  sand  or 
flinty  gravel,  and  shut  in  by  naked  cliffs;  its  mountains 
rear  up  their  heads  in  stern  grandeur,  without  a tree  or  a 
shrub  to  relieve  the  eye. 


324 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Nature*  however,  has  given  to  these  mountain  peaks 
other  colors  than  those  of  heath  or  forest*  which*  if  less 
beautiful*  are  not  less  striking— the  black*  purple*  green* 
and  red  hues  of  their  own  rocks.  The  whole  history  of  the 
peninsula  of  Sinai  clusters  round  one  brief  period — the 
forty  years’ journey  of  the  Israelites.  Many  theories  have 
been  advanced  regarding  the  precise  place  where  the  Israel- 
ites crossed  the  Eed  Sea*  but  none  of  them  have  established 
its  situation  with  a certainty. 

Wody  El  Ain*  a defile  near  the  Red  Sea*  is  the  probable 
site  of  the  Bible  history  in  Numbers  xi* — 31 : 

“And  then  went  forth  a wind  from  the  Lord,  and 
brought  quails  from  the  sea*  and  let  them  fall  by  the  camp* 
as  it  were  a day’s  journey  on  this  side*  and  as  it  were  a day’s 
journey  on  the  other  side*  round  about  the  camp*  and  as  it 
were  two  cubits  high  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 

“ And  the  people  stood  up  all  that  day*  and  all  that  night* 
and  all  the  next  day,  and  they  gathered  the  quails  ; he  that 
gathered  least  gathered  ten  homers  ; and  they  spread  them 
all  abroad  for  themselves  round  about  the  camp.  And 
while  the  the  flesh  was  yet  between  their  teeth*  ere  it  was 
chewed*  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  the  peo- 
ple* and  the  Lord  smote  the  people  with  a very  great  plague.” 

Wody  Maghareh*  “the  Valley  of  the  Cave*”  is  a singular 
valley  filled  with  caverns  and  sculptures.  The  inscriptions 
are  regarded  as  among  the  most  remarkable  and  most  ancient 
in  the  world.  It  is  supposed  that  this  was  the  site  of 
Egyptian  copper-mines  as  long  ago  as  4*000  B.  C. 

Wody  Mukatteb*  “the  Written  Valley*”  begins  when 
Wody  Maghareh  ends.  The  general  aspect  of  the  valley  is 
lofty ; uninterrupted  walls  of  sandstone*  backed  at  some 
distance  by  rugged  granite  peaks*  and  having  along  their 
bases  detached  masses  of  rock.  The  name  Mukatteb*  “the 
written,”  is  derived  from  the  extraordinary  number  of  in- 
scriptions found  in  it.  The  mystery  of  these  Sinaitic  in- 
scriptions* as  they  are  called*  has  not  yet  been  solved* 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


325 


though  it  is  supposed  that  many  of  them  are  of  compara- 
tively recent  date. 

Through  all  that  region  there  is  a wildness  and  desola- 
tion most  striking.  Mount  Hernon  is  perhaps  the  bleak- 
est and  most  univiting  spot  in  Palestine.  The  mountain 
side  is  composed  of  limestone,  and  has  a steep  acclivity, 
generally  covered  with  loose  fragments  of  the  rock,  and  a 
tuft  of  grass  or  a thorny  shrub  at  intervals.  This  is  occa- 
sionally varied  by  high  banks  of  naked  rock.  Trees 
are  few  and  far  between,  and  all  living  creatures  still  fewer. 

Ilernon  has  three  summits,  situated  like  the  angles  of  a 
triangle,  and  about  a quarter  of  a mile  from  each  other. 
They  do  not  differ  much  in  elevation.  On  one  of  the  summits 
are  curious  and  interesting  ruins.  Round  a rock  which 
forms  the  crest  of  the  peak  are  the  foundations  of  a rude 
circular  wall,  composed  of  massive  stones ; and  within  the 
circle  is  a large  heap  of  hewn  stones,  surrounding  the  re- 
mains of  a small  and  very  ancient  temple.  It  is  supposed 
that  this  mountain  was,  ages  ago,  the  great  sanctuary  of 
Baal,  and  it  was  to  the  old  Syrians  what  Jerusalem  was  to 
the  Jews, 


CXXI. — BURIAL  OF  MOSES. 

By  Nebo’s  lonely  mountain, 

On  this  side  Jordan’s  wave, 

In  a vale  in  the  land  ofMoab 
There  lies  a lonely  grave, 

And  no  man  dug  that  sepulcher, 

And  no  man  saw  it  e’er  ; 

For  the  angels  of  God  upturned  the  sod. 
And  laid  the  dead  man  there. 


326 


THE  'WORLD  1ST  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


That  was  the  grandest  funeral 
That  ever  passed  on  earth ; 

But  no  man  heard  the  trampling, 

Or  saw  the  train  go  forth. 

Noiselessly  as  the  daylight 

Comes  when  the  night  is  done. 

And  the  crimson  streak  on  ocean’s  cheek 
Grows  into  the  great  sun, — 

Noiselessly  as  the  spring  time 
Her  crown  of  verdure  weaves. 

And  all  the  trees  on  all  the  hills 
Open  their  thousand  leaves, — 

So,  without  sound  of  music 
Or  voice  of  them  that  wept, 

Silently  down  from  the  mountain  crown 
The  great  procession  swept. 

Perchance  the  bald  old  eagle, 

On  gray  Bethpeor’s  height, 

Out  of  his  rocky  eyry 

Looked  on  the  wrondrous  sight. 

Perchance  the  lion  stalking, 

Still  shuns  that  hallowed  spot, 

Por  beast  and  bird  have  seen  and  heard 
That  which  man  knoweth  not. 

But  when  the  warrior  dieth. 

His  comrades  in  the  war. 

With  arms  reversed  and  muffled  drum, 

Follow  the  funeral  car. 

They  show  the  banners  taken, 

They  tell  his  battles  won, 

And  after  him  lead  his  masterless  steed. 

While  peals  the  minute  gun. 

Amid  the  noblest  of  the  land 
Men  lay  the  sage  to  rest, 

And  give  the  bard  an  honored  place 
With  costly  marble  dressed 
In  the  great  minster  transept, 

Where  lights  like  glories  fall. 

And  the  sweet  choir  sings,  and  the  organ  rings. 
Along  the  blazoned  wall. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


This  was  the  bravest  warrior 
That  ever  buckled  sword ; 

This  the  most  gifted  poet 
That  ever  breathed  a word ; 

And  never  earth’s  philosopher 
Traced  with  his  golden  pen, 

On  the  deathless  page  truths  half  so  sage. 

As  he  wrote  down  for  men. 

And  had  he  not  high  honor  ? 

The  hill  side  for  his  pall ; 

To  lie  in  state  while  angels  wait 
With  stars  for  tapers  tall ; 

And  the  dark  rock  pines,  like  tossing  plumes. 
Over  his  bier  to  wave  ; 

And  God’s  own  hand,  in  that  lovely  land. 

To  lay  him  in  the  grave  ; 

In  that  deep  grave,  without  a name, 

Whence  his  uncoffined  clay 

Shall  break  again — most  wondrous  thought 
Before  the  judgment  day. 

And  stand  with  glory  wrapped  around 
On  the  hills  he  never  trod. 

And  speak  of  the  strife  that  won  our  life 
With  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God. 

O lonely  tomb  in  Moab’s  land, 

O dark  Bethpeor’s  hill, 

Speak  to  those  curious  hearts  of  ours, 

And  teach  them  to  be  still. 

God  hath  his  mysteries  of  grace — 

Ways  that  we  cannot  tell ; 

He  hides  them  deep,  like  the  secret  sleep 
Of  him  he  loved  so  well. 


328 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


CXXIL— CHURCHES  AND  TEMPLES. 

Many  of  the  most  simple  and  durable,,  as  well  as  the  most 
costly  and  extensive  buildings  of  all  countries  have  been 
connected  with  religious  worship.  They  range  from  the 
Altar-stone,  such  as  Abraham  and  Jacob  set,  like  the  Irish 
Cromlechs  and  the  English  Stonehenge,  to  the  most  mag- 
nificent temples  which  human  genius  could  devise  or  human 
labor  erect.  The  vast  and  gloomy  Pagodas  of  India,  the 
graceful  Temples  of  Greece,  the  fantastic  Joss-houses  of 
China,  the  Mosques  of  Turkey,  the  Cathedrals  of  Europe, 
the  Churches  of  all  Christendom,  alike  bear  witness  to  the 
general  human  desire  to  raise  and  consecrate  some  structure 
for  the  services  of  religion. 

The  Jewish  places  of  worship  are  called  synagogues. 
These  are  generally  high,  plain  buildings,  though  they  are 
sometimes  profusely  decorated,  as  that  of  Amsterdam, 
which  has  a magnificent  interior.  They  contain  the  Holy 
Ark,  at  the  east  wall,  which  all  must  face  during  certain 
prayers,  the  pulpit  in  the  middle  of  the  building,  seats, 
lamps,  and  apartments  for  the  alms-chest  and  utensils. 
Frankfort  contains  a very  handsome  synagogue;  and  a 
large  and  costly  structure,  of  Oriental  splendor,  for  that 
purpose,  has  recently  been  dedicated  in  New  York.  Al- 
most every  great  city  has  some  building  for  a synagogue 
of  this  scattered  yet  powerful  people. 

The  Mormon  religion  is  not  a more  extravagant  de- 
parture from  Christianity  than  is  its  huge  tortoise-shell 
roofed  temple,  supported  by  short  heavy  pillars,  from  the 
common  form  of  our  churches.  It  is  said,  however,  that 
this  strange-looking  building  is  easy  to  speak  and  hear  in 
—no  small  recommendation. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


329 


Among  the  Hindoo  temples,  there  are  many  buildings 
which  are  interesting,  not  less  from  their  age  than  from 
their  peculiar  architecture.  The  great  Temple  of  Bailoor, 
in  the  district  of  Myson,  is  a good  illustration  of  this  class 
of  religious  buildings.  This  is  one  of  three  or  four  temples 
which  stand  in  an  enclosure  about  four  hundred  feet  square. 
The  tower  is  divided  vertically  into  four  compartments  by 
great  flat  bands,  between  each  of  which  nestle  fifteen  repe- 
titions of  itself,  five  on  the  top  of  each  other,  in  three  rows. 

The  temple  is  built  on  a platform  raised  about  three  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  has  three  entrances.  The  exterior 
decorations  are  in  a good  state  of  preservation,  and  will 
bear  comparison  with  any  architecture  to  be  found  else- 
where, except  in  the  best  Greek  styles.  In  fact,  whether  we 
look  to  its  form  and  its  completeness,  or  to  the  exquisite 
finish  of  its  detail,  this  temple  is  the  most  perfect  and  beau- 
tiful example  of  Hindoo  houses  of  worship.  It  was  founded 
in  1114,  by  a wealthy  native,  to  mark  his  conversion  from 
the  faith  of  J aina  to  that  of  Vishnu. 

Among  the  most  conspicuous  modern  buildings  in  Jeru- 
salem, is  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  an  elegant  octagonal  edifice 
erected  A.  I).  686  and  693,  in  the  center  of  the  area  formerly 
occupied  by  the  famous  Temple  of  Solomon.  Crowning 
the  very  summit  of  Moriah,  its  graceful  proportions  and 
noble  dome  strike  the  eye  from  afar;  but  when  from  the 
brow  of  Olivet  we  look  down  on  its  cloistered  courts  and 
colonnades,  and  miniature  cupolas  and  tall  cypresses — the 
Mosque  itself  rising  proudly  over  all,  glittering  in  the  sun- 
light and  reflecting  every  color  of  the  rainbow — we  feel  we 
are  indeed  in  that  gorgeous  East  which  fancy  pictured  be- 
fore the  mind’s  eye,  when  we  used  to  revel  in  the  Arabian 
Eights.  The  temple  is  one  of  the  best  specimens  of  Ori- 
ental architecture  applied  to  the  construction  of  Moham- 
medan religious  buildings.  . 


330 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


/ 


CXXIIL— NEW  ORLEANS. 

The  metropolis  of  the  Southern  States  is  built  on  the 
convex  side  of  a bend  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  hence 
derives  its  appellation  of  “ Crescent  City.”  This  configura- 
tion necessarily  renders  the  direction  of  the  streets  very 
irregular.  Though  connected  by  railroads  and  canal  with 
important  points  in  all  directions,  the  great  avenue  of  the 
trade  and  commerce  of  New  Orleans  is  the  Mississippi  river. 
Along  the  river  front  of  the  city  the  levee,  or  artificial  em- 
bankment, is  extended  by  a continuous  series  of  wooden 
wharves  or  piers. 

A sort  of  esplanade  is  thus  formed,  several  miles  in  ex- 
tent, which  during  the  busy  season  presents  a scene  of 
singular  variety  and  animation.  At  one  end  of  the  levee 
may  be  seen  hundreds  of  flat-boats  grounded  on  the  “ bat- 
ture,”  and  filled  with  cattle  and  produce.  The  quay  is 
piled  with  lumber,  pork,  flour,  and  every  variety  of  agri- 
cultural supplies,  as  if  the  Great  Valley  had  emptied  its 
treasures  at  the  door  of  New  Orleans. 

Farther  on  is  the  steamboat  landing.  Here  all  is 
action — the  wery  water  is  covered  with  life.  Vessels  of 
immense  size  move  upon  its  bosom,  acknowledging  none 
of  the  powers  of  air.  New  Orleans  is  the  greatest  cotton- 
market  in  the  world.  A hundred  steamboats  are  often  dis- 
charging their  cargoes  of  cotton  at  a time  on  the  wharves, 
while  huge  piles,  bale  upon  bale,  and  story  upon  story^ 
cover  the  levee. 

The  streets,  shops  and  dwellings  of  New  Orleans,  present 
an  extraordinary  variety  of  style  and  construction.  The 
limits  of  the  old  city,  as  it  existed  under  the  French  and 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


331 


Spanish  governments,  are  defined  by  Canal,  Rampart  and 
Esplanade  streets.  These  streets  are  nearly  200  feet  wide, 
with  a side-walk  and  carriage-way  on  each  side,  and  in  the 
middle  an  unoccupied  space  (or  “ neutral  ground,”  as  it  is 
called)  planted  with  a double  row  of  trees.  Of  late  years, 
however,  this  space  lias  been  used  for  the  tracks  of  the 
street-car  lines.  Within  the  above  limits-  the  streets  are 
narrow,  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles,  the  houses 
compactly  built,  but  without  uniformity,  the  whole  pre- 
senting the  appearance  of  a European  city. 


CXXIV. — AN  EVENING  REVERIE. 

The  summer  day  is  closed,  the  sun  is  set ; 

W ell  have  they  done  their  office,  those  bright  hours, 
The  latest  of  whose  train  goes  softly  out 
In  the  red  west.  The  green  blade  of  the  ground 
Has  risen,  and  herds  have  cropped  it ; the  young  twig 
Has  spread  its  plaited  tissues  to  the  sun  ; 

Flowers  of  the  garden  and  the  waste  have  blown 
And  withered  ; seeds  have  fallen  upon  the  soil, 

From  bursting  cells,  and  in  their  graves  await 
Their  resurrection. 

Insects  from  the  pools 

Have  filled  the  air  awhile  with  humming  wings. 

That  now  are  still  forever ; painted  moths 
Flave  wandered  the  blue  sky,  and  died  again ; 

The  mother-bird  hath  broken  for  her  brood 
Their  pri^m  shell,  or  shoved  them  from  the  nest, 
Plumed  for  their  earliest  flight.  In  bright  alcoves. 

In  woodland  cottage  with  barky  walls, 

In  noisome  cells  of  the  tumultuous  town. 

Mo  hers  have  clasped  with  joy  the  new-born  babe. 


332 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Groves  by  the  lonely  forest,  by  the  shore 

Of  rivers  and  of  ocean,  by  the  ways 

Of  the  thronged  city,  have  been  hollowed  out, 

And  filled,  and  closed.  This  day  hath  parted  friends 
That  ne’er  before  were  parted  ; it  hath  knit 
blew  friendships ; it  hath  seen  the  maiden  plight 
Her  faith,  and  trust  her  peace  to  him  who  long 
Had  wooed ; and  it  hath  heard,  from  lips  which  late 
Were  eloquent  with  love,  the  first  harsh  word, 

That  told  the  wedded  one  her  peace  was  flown. 

Farewell  to  the  sweet  sunshine  ! One  glad  day 
Is  added  now  to  Childhood’s  merry  days. 

And  one  calm  day  to  those  of  quiet  Age. 

Still  the  fleet  hours  run  on ; and,  as  I lean 
Amid  the  thickening  darkness,  lamps  are  lit, 

By  those  wrho  watch  the  dead,  and  those  who  twine 
Flowers  for  the  bride.  The  mother  from  the  eyes 
Of  her  sick  infant  shades  the  painful  light, 

And  sadly  listens  to  his  quick-drawn  breath. 

0 thou  great  Movement  of  the  Universe, 

Or  Change  or  Flight  of  Time — for  ye  are  one  ! 

That  bearest,  silently,  this  visible  scene 
Into  night’s  shadow  and  the  streaming  rays 
Of  starlight,  whither  art  thou  bearing  me  ? 

1 feel  the  mighty  current  sweep  me  on, 

Yet  know  not  whither.  Man  foretells  afar 
The  course  of  the  stars  ; the  very  hour 

He  knows  when  they  shall  darken  or  grow  bright ; 
Yet  doth  the  eclipse  of  Sorrow  and  of  Death 
Come  unforewarned. 

Who  next,  of  those  I love. 

Shall  pass  from  life,  or  sadder  yet,  shall  fall 
From  virtue  ? Strife  with  foes,  or  bitterer  strife 
With  friends,  or  shame  and  general  scorn  of  men — 
Which  who  can  bear  ? — or  the  fierce  rack  of  pain, 

Lie  they  within  my  path  ? — or  shall  the  years 
Push  me,  with  soft  and  inoffensive  pace,  « 

Into  the  stilly  twilight  of  my  age  ? 

Or  do  the  portals  of  another  life 

Even  now,  while  I am  glorying  in  my  strength. 

Impend  around  me  ? 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


333 


Oh,  beyond  that  bourne. 

In  the  vast  cycle  of  being  which  begins 
At  that  broad  threshold,  with  what  fairer  forms 
Shall  the  great  law  of  change  and  progress  clothe 
Its  workings  ? Gently — so  have  good  men  taught — 
Gently,  and  without  grief,  the  old  shall  glide 
Into  the  new  ; the  eternal  flow  of  things, 

Like  a bright  river  of  the  fields  of  heaven, 

Shall  journey  onward  in  perpetual  peace. 


CXXV.— THE  DESTRUCTION  OE  POMPEII. 

The  following  accurate  account  of  the  great  eruption  of 
Vesuvius  was  written  immediately  thereafter  by  the  younger 
Pliny : 

“ There  had  been  for  several  days  before  some  shocks  of 
an  earthquake,  which  the  less  surprised  us  as  they  are 
extremely  frequent  in  Campania ; but  they  were  so  particu- 
larly violent  that  night,  that  they  not  only  shook  every- 
thing about  us,  but  seemed  indeed  to  threaten  total  destruc- 
tion. * * * Though  it  was  now  morning,  the  light  was 
exceedingly  faint  and  languid;  the  buildings  all  around  us 
tottered ; and  though  we  stood  upon  open  ground,  yet,  as 
the  place  was  narrow,  there  was  no  remaining  without, 
danger. 

“ We  therefore  resolved  to  quit  the  town.  The  people 
followed  us  in  the  utmost  consternation ; and  as,  to  a mind 
distracted  with  terror,  every  suggestion  seems  more  prudent 
than  its  own,  they  pressed  in  great  crowds  about  us  in 
our  way  out.  Having  got  to  a convenient  distance  from 
the  houses,  we  stood  still  in  the  midst  of  a most  dreadful 
and  dangerous  scene. 


334 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCORE. 


“ The  chariots  which  we  had  ordered  to  be  drawn  out 
were  so  agitated  backward  and  forward,  though  upon  the 
most  level  ground,  that  we  could  not  keep  them  steady,  even 
by  supporting  them  with  large  stones.  The  sea  seemed  to 
roll  back  upon  itself,  and  to  be  driven  from  its  banks  by  the 
convulsive  motion  of  the  earth  ; it  is  certain,  at  least,  that 
the  shore  was  much  enlarged,  and  that  several  sea  animals 
were  left  upon  it. 

“ On  the  other  side,  a black  and  dreadful  cloud,  bursting 
with  a fiery  serpentine  vapor,  darted  out  a long  train  of 
fire,  resembling  flashes  of  lightning,  but  much  larger.  Soon 
afterward  the  cloud  seemed  to  descend  and  cover  the  whole 
ocean.  My  mother  strongly  conjured  me  to  escape,  which, 
as  I was  young,  I might  easily  do ; as  for  herself,  she  said, 
her  age  and  feebleness  rendered  all  attempts  of  that  sort 
impossible.  But  I absolutely  refused  to  leave  her,  and 
taking  her  hand  I led  her  on ; she  complied  with  great 
reluctance,  and  not  without  many  reproaches  to  herself  for 
hindering  my  flight. 

“ The  ashes  now  began  to  fall  upon  us,  though  in  no 
great  quantity.  I turned  my  head,  and  observed  behind 
us  a thick  smoke,  which  came  rolling  after  us  like  a torrent. 
I proposed,  while  we  had  yet  light,  to  turn  out  of  the  high 
road,  lest  she  should  be  pressed  to  death  in  the  dark  by  the 
crowd  that  followed  us.  We  had  scarce  stepped  out  of  the 
path  when  darkness  overspread  us,  not  like  that  of  a cloudy 
night,  or  when  there  is  no  moon,  but  of  a room  when  it  is 
shut  up.  Nothing  was  to  be  heard  but  the  shrieks  of 
women,  the  screams  of  children,  and  the  cries  of  men  ; some 
calling  for  their  parents,  others  for  their  husbands;  some 
wishing  to  die  from  the  very  fear  of  dying ; some  lifting 
their  hands  to  the  gods-;  but  the  greater  part  imagining 
that  the  last  and  eternal  night  was  come  which  was  to 
destroy  the  gods  and  the  world  together. 

"At  length  a glimmering  light  appeared,  which  we  im- 
agined to  be  rather  the  forerunner  of  an  approaching  burst 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


335 


of  flame,  than  the  return  of  day.  However,  the  fire  fell  at  a 
distance  from  us.  Then  again  we  were  immersed  in  thick 
darkness,  and  a heavy  shower  of  ashes  rained  upon  us, 
which  we  were  obliged  every  now  and  then  to  shake  off; 
otherwise  we  should  have  been  crushed  and  buried  in  the 
heap.  At  last,  this  dreadful  darkness  was  dissipated  by 
degrees,  like  a cloud  of  smoke ; the  real  day  returned,  and 
even  the  sun  appeared,  though  very  faintly,  and  as  when  an 
eclipse  is  coming  on. 

“ Every  object  which  presented  itself  to  our  eyes,  which 
were  extremely  weakened,  seemed  changed,  being  covered 
over  with  white  ashes,  as  with  a deep  snow.  * We  returned 
to  Tliisenum,  where  we  refreshed  ourselves  as  well  as  we 
could,  and  passed  an  anxious  night  between  hope  and  fear 
— though  indeed  with  a much  larger  share  of  the  latter,  for 
the  earthquake  still  continued,  while  several  enthusiasts 
ran  up  and  down,  heightening  their  own  and  their  friends’ 
calamities  by  terrible  predictions/’ 


CXXYL— ENGLISH  COLLEGES. 

The  English  universities,  like  most  of  those  which  came 
into  existence  in  remote  times,  were  formed  on  the  model 
of  the  University  of  Paris;  and  in  the  earlier  period  of  their 
history  bear  a striking  resemblance  to  the  parent  institution. 
Till  1836,  England  contained  only  two  universities,  those  of 
Oxford  and  Cambridge.  The  origin  of  both  is  involved  in 
obscurity,  and  it  is,  perhaps,  impossible  to  decide  at  how 
early  a period  schools  and  places  of  general  education 
existed  in  either. 


336 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


The  foundation  of  Oxford  University  is  generally  ascribed 
to  Alfred  the  Greats  but  only  from  the  reign  of  Henry  I 
have  we  any  authentic  history  of  the  institution.  That 
monarch  is  said  to  have . extended  special  patronage  to 
Oxford  as  a seminary  of  learning.  One  of  the  earliest  acts 
of  the  University  was  to  break  up  into  different  colleges, 
each  independent  of  the  other,  except  as  all  were  subordi- 
nate to  the  University  as  a whole.  This  arrangement  was 
necessitated  by  the  great  number  of  students  who  could  not 
be  accommodated  in  the  town,  and  ftrf  whom  the  different 
halls  or  colleges  were  erected. 

Of  these,  the  principal  ones  are  Christ  Church,  Corpus 
Christi,  Oriel,  Merton,  and  University  Colleges.  Among 
the  objects  of  interest  connected  with  the  University  is  the 
new  museum,  opened  in  1860.  This  is  a magnificent  quad- 
rangular building  in  the  mediaeval  style.  The  principal 
front  contains  apparatus  and  lecture  rooms;  the  various 
wings  are  devoted  to  anatomy,  medicine,  chemistry,  etc. 
The  inner  quadrangle,  called  the  Museum  Court,  is  in- 
tended to  contain  the  collections. 

The  University  of  Cambridge  is  a seat  of  learning  of  very 
ancient  date,  though  Oxford  is  usually  given  the  precedence 
in  age.  The  present  University  statutes  were  given  by 
Elizabeth,  in  the  twelfth  year  of  her  reign.  The  University 
consists  of  seventeen  colleges,  each  being  a corporate  body, 
but  subject  to  the  general  laws  of  the  University.  The 
highest  officer  in  the  University  is  the  Chancellor,  who, 
however,  has  little  to  do  with  the  internal  management. 
He  is  usually  some  person  of  high  rank,  whose  station  en- 
ables him  to  protect  and  advance  the  interests  of  the  Uni- 
versity. 

Many  of  the  buildings  of  the  various  colleges  are  of  re- 
markable beauty  and  spiendor.  The  most  important  of 
these,  though  not  the  oldest,  is  Trinity  College.  It  boasts  of 
a glorious  ancestry ; their  names  are  among  the  very  highest 
in  the  list  of  English  worthies — Bacon,  Newton,  Bentley, 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


337 


Dry  den,  Byron,  are  but  samples  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  them — in  the  pursuits  of  theology,  science,  and  poetry. 

Trinity  Library  was  erected  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren, 
and  is  generally  considered  one  of  his  best  works.  It  is 
undoubtedly  a noble  building  externally;  while  its  mag- 
nificent proportions  and  luminous  appearance  strike  every 
one  who  enters  it.  The  grand  room  is  190  feet  long,  40 
feet  broad,  and  38  feet  high.  The  floor  is  of  black  and 
white  marble ; the  doorways  at  the  end  of  the  room,  and  the 
presses  containing  the  books,  are  profusely  adorned  with 
wood.  A great  number  of  busts  of  eminent  men  are  set  on 
the  presses  around  the  room.  This  library  contains  nearly 
43,000  volumes,  including  many  rarities.  Clare  Hall,  a 
very  pleasantly  situated  building,  is  said  to  date  back  to 
the  time  of  Chaucer.  It  is  not  of  any  importance  other- 
wise. 

Eton  College,  in  the  town  of  Eton,  was  founded  by 
King  Henry  VI,  in  1440.  Its  purpose  was  to  provide  free 
instruction  to  such  boys  of  promise  as  were  unable  to  bear 
the  expenses  themselves.  This  did  not  hinder  a great  many 
children  of  wealthy  parents  from  crowding  to  Eton,  when 
its  reputation  for  thoroughness  of  education  was  acquired. 
They,  however,  did  not  have  the  benefit  of  the  king’s 
charity. 

The  buildings  of  Eton  were  not  completed  until  1523, 
and  the  College  itself  was  not  exempt  from  trouble  until 
after  the  Eestoration ; from  that  time  it  has  continued  in  a 
course  of  steady  prosperity  until  now,  when  it  is  perhaps  in 
as  flourishing  a condition  as  at  any  previous  date.  The 
scholars  are  admissible  between  the  ages  of  eight  and  fif- 
teen. At  seventeen  they  are  elected  to  King’s  College,  Carm 
bridge,  by  examination,  or,  failing  to  pass,  are  superannu- 
ated. The  scholars,  on  the  foundation  of  Eton  College, 
are  lodged  within  the  college  walls ; but,  besides  these,  as 
we  have  heretofore  mentioned,  there  are  always  a great 
many  scholars  known  as  oppidans , who  live  in  the  town, 
15 


338  THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

and  belong  chiefly  to  the  higher  ranks  of  society.  In  school, 
there  is  no  distinction  between  the  appidans  and  collegians. 

By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  college  buildings  are  of 
brick,  and,  as  a whole,  they  have  a venerable  and  appro- 
priate appearance.  From  a distance  they  form  a striking 
group ; the  massive,  but  graceful  chapel,  rising  proudly 
above  the  dark  mass  of  buildings  that  surround  it,  destroys 
the  heavy  uniformity  which  they  would  else  exhibit. 

The  quadrangle  is  an  open  space  among  the  buildings, 
near  the  center  of  which  stands  a bronze  statue  of  the  royal 
founder.  The  sombre  edifices  that  surround  it  wear  a grave 
academic  air.  There  is  a propriety  about  their  unassuming 
simplicity  that  makes  itself  felt,  when  the  flutter  and  affec- 
tation of  a more  ambitious  pile  would  only  offend.  Directly 
in  front,  the  eye  rests  on  the  lofty  gate-house,  or  clock- 
tower,  a handsome  specimen  of  the  domestic  architecture 
of  the  fifteenth  century.  It  has  a large  central  bay-window 
of  great  richness  of  design. 


OXXYIL— CHRISTIANIA  AND  STOCKHOLM. 

Sweden  and  Norway  together  occupy  what  is  called 
the  Scandinavian  peninsula,  a long,  narrow  strip  of  land 
formed  by  the  Baltic  and  North  seas.  The  two  countries 
are  separated  by  a range  of  mountains,  along  which  a 
broad  avenue  cut  in  the- forest,  and  having  at  certain  inter- 
vals stone  monuments,  marks  the  line  of  division.  Although 
united  under  one  sovereign,  they  are  each,  according  to  the 
constitution,  “free,  independent,  indivisible  and  inalien- 
able.” 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


339 


The  climate  is  healthy,  and  less  severe  than  might  be 
expected  from  the  high  latitude  and  elevation  of  surface, 
being  considerably  tempered  by  the  sea  and  the  warm 
southwest  winds.  The  temperature  is,  on  the  whole,  milder 
than  that  of  any  other  region  equally  distant  from  the 
equator.  The  Norwegians  are  an  industrious,  frugal,  and 
honest  race,  cold  and  reserved  in  manner,  but  kind  and 
hospitable,  simple  in  their  habits,  firm  in  purpose,  and  patri- 
otic. The  Swedish  peasantry  are  an  energetic,  prudent, 
and  well-educated  class,  and  have  already  absorbed  much 
of  the  landed  property  of  the  decaying  aristocracy.  The 
advance  of  all  classes  has,  however,  been  much  hindered  by 
the  prevalence  of  drunkenness,  which,  from  immoderate 
potations  of  their  fiery  corn  brandy,  has  been  more  common 
there  than  in  any  other  country  of  Europe.  The  last 
twenty  years  has  witnessed  a great  improvement  in  morality, 
due  to  the  establishment  of  religious  sects  and  temperance 
societies. 

Christiania,  the  capital  of  Norway,  is  beautifully  situated 
at  the  head  of  the  fiord  of  the  same  name,  an  arm  of  the 
Skager  Rack,  extending  inland  about  seventy-five  miles. 
The  city  is  built  on  an  agreeable  slope  facing  the  south, 
and  graduating  into  the  country  by  means  of  innumerable 
villas  intermingled  with  woods,  and  usually  built  in  com- 
manding situations. 

The  entire  aspect  of  the  town  and  surrounding  scenery 
is  exceedingly  pleasing  and  peculiar.  The  town  is  regu- 
larly laid  out,  the  streets  wide  and  straight,  crossing  each 
other  at  right  angles,  and  the  houses  are  all  constructed  of 
brick  or  stone,  though  few  of  them  have  any  pretension  to 
architectural  beauty.  Among  the  most  noteworthy  build- 
ings is  the  cathedral,  which  is  really  an  imposing  structure. 

Christiania  is  of  considerable  antiquity,  though  it  was 
formerly  known  by  the  name  of  Opslo,  having  been  founded 
in  1058  by  King  Harald  Hardrada.  On  its  destruction  by 
fire  in  1624,  the  new  city,  with  the  new  name,  rose  from  its 


340 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


ruins.  It  was  not,  however,  until  after  Norway  liad  been 
erected  into  an  independent  kingdom  that  the  modern  capi- 
tal began  to  make  rapid  strides  in  wealth  and  importance. 

Stockholm,  the  capital  and  largest  city  of  Sweden,  occu- 
pies a fine  position  on  the  strait  that  connects  Lake  Malar 
with  the  Baltic.  The  city  is  built  chiefly  upon  a number 
of  islands,  and  consists  of  three  principal  divisions.  It  is 
handsomely  designed,  and  has  several  squares  and  public 
walks  ornamented  with  trees  and  statues.  The  surrounding 
country,  and  much  of  the  ground  upon  which  the  city 
stands,  are  rocky  and  solid ; yet  it  has  been  necessary,  from 
the  nature  of  other  parts,  to  build  much  upon  piles,  whence 
the  name  Stockholm  is  derived,  meaning  island  of  piles. 

The  city  has  been  likened  to  Venice,  and  there  are  sev- 
eral points  of  view  which  recall  the  southern  city  of  the 
sea;  but  the  resemblance  is,  of  course,  imperfect.  The  ap- 
proaches by  water  are  uncommonly  beautiful,  both  on  the 
lake  side  and  the  Baltic,  commanding  views  jirobably  un- 
surpassed of  their  kind.  The  most  striking  object  from 
every  point  is  the  great  rectangular  palace,  an  immense 
structure,  standing  upon  an  eminence  in  the  central  island. 
Its  vast,  massive  walls  rise  far  above  all  the  neighboring 
buildings,  and  its  long  straight  lines  need  the  relief  afforded 
by  the  towers  of  the  neighboring  cathedral. 

There  are  few  cities  in  Europe  whose  general  aspect  is 
more  attractive  than  that  of  Stockholm.  There  are  vast 
ranges  of  buildings,  relieved  and  overshadowed  in  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  city  by  the  majestic  palace  and  church 
towers  rising  in  their  midst ; in  the  northern  district  laid 
out  with  modern  symmetry  and  elegance;  and  in  the  south- 
ern rising  from  the  harbor  terraced  upon  a noble  amphi- 
theater of  rocky  cliff ; and  .all,  or  nearly  all,  reflected  in  the 
clear  waves  of  lake  and  fiord. 

From  the  corners  of  every  street  debouching  upon  the 
wide  water-fronts,  the  eye  encounters  the  richest  and  most 
remarkable  pictures.  Nowhere  has.  nature  disposed  her 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


undulations  of  soil  and  curves  of  water  boundary  with  more 
endless  variety ; and  nowhere  does  she  produce  effects  and 
perspective  of  more  striking  beauty.  In  the  compass  of  a 
single  evening  walk  one  may  pass  through  sombre  forest 
and  smooth  pasture  slopes,  climb  tail  granite  cliffs  over- 
hanging the  glassy  lake  and  bay,  and  glide  through  the 
busy  seaport,  filled  with  sails  and  moving  industry  of  the 
granite  quays,  lined  and  adorned  with  beauties  of  architec- 
ture, with  statues  and  monuments  of  art. 


CXXVIIL— SCENES  ABOUT  JERUSALEM. 

The  brook  Kidron  is  first  mentioned  in  the  Bible  in  con- 
nection with  the  flight  of  David  during  the  rebellion  of  his 
son  Absalom.  It  would  seem  that  a portion  of  the  Valley 
of  Jehosophat,  through  which  the  brook  runs,  was  used  by 
the  Jews  as  a burying-ground,  from  a very  early  period, 
and  at  the  present  day  the  left  bank  of  the  brook,  as  far  up 
as  Olivet,  is  paved  with  the  white  tomb- stones  of  countless 
descendants  of  Abraham.  Northwest  of  the  Damascus 
gate  there  is  a slight  depression  in  the  broad  ridge,  and  this 
is  the  head  of  the  Kidron  valley.  The  sides  of  the  depres- 
sion are  whitened  by  jagged  crowns  of  limestone,  which 
everywhere  project  above  the  scanty  soil. 

The  number  of  rock-tombs  at  this  place,  and  the  extent 
and  beauty  of  some  of  them,  impress  the  stranger  more 
than  anything  else  with  the  wealth  and  splendor  of  the 
ancient  Jewish  capital.  The  valley  runs,  for  about  half  a 
mile,  directly  toward  the  city;  it  is  shallow  and  wide, 


342 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


dotted  with  corn-fields,  and  here  and  there  a few  old  olives. 
It  then  sweeps  round  eastward,  and  then  southward,  be- 
coming narrower,  and  the  sides  being  steeper. 

As  it  passes  the  base  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  it  affords  a 
fine  and  picturesque  view  of  that  sacred  hill.  The  olive 
trees  here  become  more  abundant,  forming  a little  shady 
grove;  their  massive  trunks,  too,  hollowed  and  half  de- 
cayed, with  the  heavy  gnarled  boughs,,  have  a venerable 
look,  and  leave  the  impression  of  remote  antiquity.  The 
spot  has  a solemn — almost  a sacred — aspect,  it  is  so  com- 
pletely shut  out  from  the  din  of  the  city,  from  the  view  of 
public  roads,  and  from  the  notice  and  interruptions  of 
wayfarers. 

An  interesting  relic  in  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem  is  the 
Pool  of  Grihon,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  constructed 
by  King  Hezekiah.  He  seems  to  have  covered  over  the 
fountain  by  building  subterranean  chambers,  like  those  at 
the  pools  of  Solomon,  and  then  to  have  conducted  the 
water  by  underground  channels  into  the  city.  The  whole 
work  was  one  of  great  magnitude  and  labor,  as  it  was 
mostly  cut  through  solid  rock 

The  little  village  of  Bethlehem,  near  Jerusalem,  is  in- 
vested with  peculiar  interest,  on  account  of  having  been  the 
birth-place  of  Jesus.  On  this  account  it  is  only  second  to 
Jerusalem  itself,  in  the  eyes  of  the  traveler  through  Pales- 
tine. Pew  will  pass  along  the  winding  road  that  ap- 
proaches it  from  the  Holy  City  without  calling  to  mind 
that  wondrous  event  that  has  given  its  name  to  our  era. 
But,  independent  of  ail  associations,  its  appearance  is 
striking.  It  is  situated  on  a narrow  ridge,  which  projects 
eastward  from  the  central  mountain  range,  and  breaks 
down  in  abrupt  terraced  slopes  to  deep  valleys  on  each  side. 
The  terraces — admirably  kept,  and  covered  with  rows  of 
olives,  intermixed  with  the  fig  and  the  vine — sweep  in 
graceful  curves  round  the  ridge,  regular  as  stairs. 

The  place  is  first  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


343 


touching  narrative  of  Eachel’s  death ; Jacob  buried  his 
beloved  wife  “ in  the  way  to  Ephrath,  which  is  Bethlehem.” 
It  was  to  the  house  of  Jesse,  the  Bethlehemite,  that  Samuel 
came,  according  to  the  command  of  the  Lord,  with  his  horn 
of  oil  to  anoint  David,  then  keeping  his  sheep  in  the 
neighboring  desert.  Bethlehem  was  for  a time  in  the  hands 
of  the  Philistines,  when  David  and  his  men  were  in  the 
cave  of  Adullam ; and  it  was  then  that  he  strongly  longed 
for  “the  wTater  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  which  is  by  the 
gate;”  and  three  of  his  “mighty  men”  immediately  broke 
through  the  host  of  the  enemy,  periling  their  lives  to 
gratify  the  whim  of  their  chief.  This  well  is  still  there, 
and  forms  a lasting  memento  of  those  historic  times. 

Of  the  several  hills  on  which  Jerusalem  was  built,  Zion 
is  the  largest,  and  in  many  respects  the  most  interesting. 
It  occupies  the  south-western  section  of  the  ancient  town. 
Its  western  and  southern  sides  rise  abruptly  from  the  valley 
of  Hinnom,  and  appear  to  have  originally  consisted  of  a 
series  of  rocky  precipices  rising  one  above  another  like  stairs ; 
but  now  they  are  partially  covered  with  loose  soil  and  rub- 
bish of  buildings.  The  southern  brow  of  Zion  is  bold  and 
prominent,  and  its  position  makes  it  seem  loftier  than  any 
other  point  in  the  city.  The  summit  of  the  hill  affords  a 
fine  view  of  the  city. 

The  Pool  of  Hezekiah  lies  in  the  center  of  a group  of 
buildings  on  the  west  side  of  Christian  street.  It  is  about 
two  hundred  and  forty  feet  long  by  one  hundred  and  forty- 
four  wide.  The  depth  is  not  great,  and  the  bottom  is  of 
natural  rock,  leveled  and  covered  with  cement.  We  are 
told  of  King  Hezekiah  that  he  “ made  a pool  and  a conduit, 
and  brought, water  into  the  city,”  and  also  that  “ he  stopped 
the  upper  water-course  of  Gihon,  and  brought  it  straight 
down  to  the  west  side  of  the  city  of  David.”  (2  Kings,  xx — 
20 ; and  2 Chron.,  xxxii — 30.)  From  these  words  we  can 
only  infer  that  Hezekiah  constructed  a pool  within  the  city 
on  its  western  part.  To  such  a pool  the  present  reservoir 
corresponds ; and  it  is  also  fed  in  a similar  manner. 


344 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Could  we  only  guarantee  the  genuineness  of  the  site,  no 
spot  m Jerusalem  would  be  more  deeply  interesting  than 
the  Holy  Sepulchre ; but,  unfortunately,  it  is  impossible  to 
giye  a guarantee.  The  group  of  buildings  erected  by  Con- 
stantine in* 335  A.  D.,  and  called  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  has  its  entrance  on  a narrow,  crooked  street, 
sometimes  called  Palmer  street.  After  descending  a flight 
of  rude  steps,  we  come  to  a small  payed  court,  along  whose 
sides  we  obserye  the  bases  of  a row  of  columns  which  prob- 
ably at  one  time  supported  cloisters.  In  the  center  of  the 
building  stands  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  It  is  a square  yault 
about  six  feet  by  seyen,  with  a dome  supported  on  short 
marble  pillars.  A slab  of  white  marble  on  the  sepulchral 
couch  is  cracked  through  the  center  and  much  worn  at  the 
edge  by  the  lips  of  pilgrims. 

The  Mount  of  Oliyes  is  situated  immediately  beyond  the 
Kidron,  on  the  east  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  more  a ridge  than  a 
mount,  graceful  in  outline  and  delicate  in  color,  especially 
when  seen  from  the  brow  of  Zion  on  an  evening  in  early 
spring.  In  the  center  is  a rounded  top,  crowned  by  a little 
village,  with  its  tapering  minaret.  The  face  of  the  hill  is 
streaked  horizontally  with  strips  of  green  and  gray — the 
former  terraces  of  corn,  the  latter  the  supporting  wails  and 
ledges  of  rock — while  the  whole  is  dotted  with  olive-trees. 

The  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Oliyes  affords  one  of  the 
most  commanding  and  interesting  views  of  Jerusalem  and 
its  surroundings.  The  best  time  for  this  view  is  in  the 
early  morning,  when  the  valleys,  are  still  in  shade,  and  the 
bright  sun,  lighting  up  the  hills,  throws  them  into  bold  re- 
lief. No  name  in  Scripture  calls  up  associations  at  once 
so  sacred  and  so  pleasing  as  that  of  Olivet.  The  “Mount” 
is  so  intimately  connected  with  the  private  life  of  the 
Saviour,  that  we  read  of  it  and  look  at  it  with  feelings  of 
deepest  interest  and  affection. 

Here  He  sat  with  His  disciples,  telling  them  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  Holy  City.  Here  He  related  the  beautiful 
Parables  of  the  Ten  Virgins  and  the  Five  Talents.  Here 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


345 


He  was  wont  to  retire  on  each  evening  for  meditation  and 
prayer.  And  here  He  came  on  the  night  of  His  betrayal 
to  utter  that  wonderful  prayer : — “ 0 my  Father,  if  it  be 
possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me : nevertheless,  not  as  I 
will,  but  as  Thou  wilt.”  And  after  death  and  the  grave, 
He  led  His  disciples  out  again  over  Olivet,  as  far  as  to 
Bethany,  and  after  a parting  blessing  ascended  to  Heaven. 


CXXIX.— THE  MOUNTAINS  OF  ASIA. 

The  vast  continent  of  Asia  presents  great  chains  of  stu- 
pendous mountains,  crowned  with  the  loftiest  summits  on 
the  earth.  Its  surface  is  largely  composed  of  high  plains, 
which  rise  at  different  points  into  masses  of  lofty  moun- 
tains ; and  these  diverge  over  large  countries  into  an  end- 
less variety  of  inferior  ridges. 

The  low  Ural  mountains  divide  the  great  northern  plain 
by  a gentle  ascent  and  wooded  slopes,  without  the  gorges, 
glaciers,  or  precipices  characteristic  of  a high  range.  The 
lofty  chain  of  the  Caucasus  is  an  offshoot  of  the  Asian  high- 
lands, 700  miles  long.  The  central  part  of  the  chain  is 
loaded  with  glaciers,  while  the  lower  slopes  are  rich  with 
luxuriant  vegetation.  The  Taurus  extends  along  the  south- 
ern coast  of  the  highland  of  Asia  Minor,  rising  to  the  height 
of  8,000  to  10,000  feet,  while  the  northern  coast  is  lined  by 
a lower  range,  including  the  famous  summits  of  Mount 
Olympus  and  Mount  Ida. 

The  celebrated  Lebanon  ridges  are  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
miles  wide,  and  nearly  a hundred  miles  long.  The  summits 
are  rounded,  bare,  and  of  a grayish  white  color.  The 
1'5* 


346 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


eastern  descent  is  rugged  and  abrupt;  but  the  western  is 
more  gentle,  and  commands  the  loveliest  views.  Says  that 
great  traveler,  Yan  de  Velde:  “I  have  traveled  in  no  part 
of  the  world  where  I have  seen  such  a variety  of  glorious 
mountain  scenes  within  so  narrow  a compass.  Not  the 
luxurious  Java,  nor  the  richly  wooded  Borneo;  not  the 
majestic  Sumatra  or  Celebes;  not  the  Paradise-like  Ceylon, 
far  less  the  grand  but  naked  mountains  of  South  Africa,  or 
the  low  impenetrable  woods  of  the  West  Indies,  are  to  be 
compared  to  the  southern  projecting  mountains  of  Lebanon. 
In  yonder  lands  all  is  green,  or  all  is  bare.  An  Indian 
landscape  has  something  monotonous  in  its  superabun- 
dance of  wood  and  jungle,  that  one  wishes  in  vain  to  see 
intermingled  with  rocky  cliffs  or  with  towns  or  villages.  In 
the  bare  table-lands  of  the  Cape  Colony,  the  eye  discovers 
nothing  but  rocky  cliffs.  It  is  not  so,  however,  with  the 
southern  range  of  Lebanon.  Here  there  are  woods  and 
mountains,  streams  and  villages,  bold  rocks  and  green  cul- 
tivated fields,  land  and  sea  views.  Here,  in  one  word,  you 
find  all  that  the  eye  could  desire  to  behold  on  this  earth.” 
In  contrast  with  this  varied  loveliness  stand  the  barren  hills 
of  western  Palestine  and  the  desolate  and  frowning  heights 
of  the  Sinaitic  range. 

The  Persian  mountains  lie  along  the  southern  shores  .of 
the  Caspian;  and  south  of  the  cold  and  broken  table-land 
of  Iran  rises  the  broad  and  lofty  belt  of  the  Kourdistan 
range.  This  range  is  prolonged  in  parallel  ridges,  separated 
by  dry,  long  valleys,  above  the  shores  of  the  Persian  gulf, 
and  bounds  the  hot  and  sandy  deserts  which  reach  to  the 
Indus.  The  peninsula  of  Hindostan  rises  from  the  eastern 
and  western  Ghaut  mountains  in  the  table-land  of  the 
Deccan,  and  ends  in  the  Neilgherry  hills,  nearly  10,000 
feet  high. 

The  loftiest  Asian  mountains  lie  in  the  interior.  They 
are  the  great  Bolar  mountain  knot,  from  which  a number 
of  high  ranges  branch  out,  the  Thian  Shan,  Altai,  Kuen- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


347 


lun,  Karakorum,  and  Himalaya  mountains.  These  great 
ranges  have  not  been  fully  explored,  and  but  little  is  known 
of  large  parts  of  them.  They  surround  and  stretch  out 
from  the  great  central  table-land.  This  vast  protuberance 
of  soil  stretches  across  Thibet  and  Mongolia.  Four  great 
chains  run  from  west  to  east,  in  the  line  of  the  earth’s  lati- 
tudes. To  the  north,  on  the  frontier  of  China  and  Siberia, 
rises  the  group  of  the  Altai ; to  the  south,  the  majestic  belt 
of  the  Karakorum  and  Himalayan  Mountains,  where  we 
discover  the  loftiest  summits  of  the  world.  The  two  other 
chains,  going  from  north  to  south,  are  the  Thian  Shan,  or 
“ Celestial  Mountains,”  and  the  Kuenlun,  which  is  ter- 
minated on  the  west  by  Tsungling;  these  again,  on  the 
west,  unite  with  the  chain  of  Bolor-Tagh,  or  “ Mountains 
of  the  Mist.” 

Of  all  the  grand  Asiatic  ranges,  the  most  remarkable,  in 
height,  extent,  and  natural  grandeur,  is  the  Himalaya.  It 
consists  of  three  distinct  parts — the  three  forming  one  mag- 
nificent chain,  the  loftiest  in  the  world.  The  Himalaya 
extends  a distance  of  nearly  1,500  miles.  No  less  than  forty- 
five  of  its  peaks  are  known  to  exceed  23,000  feet  in  height.  Its 
passes  are  all  above  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc.  Its  south- 
ern slopes,  which  are  the  best  known,  consist  of  three  dis- 
tinct regions — a grassy,  marshy  plain,  a forest  belt,  and  a 
tract  of  wreck  and  fragments,  lying  immediately  at  the  foot 
of  the  true  mountains,  which  raise  their  sublime  peaks  far, 
far  above,  in  a sky  of  unclouded  azure. 

Vast  glaciers  occur  in  every  part  of  the  range  above  the 
snow  line,  and  astound  the  spectator  who  ventures  into  the 
noiseless  solitudes  by  a weird  and  truly  unearthly  grandeur. 
The  valleys  are  so  deep  and  narrow,  and  the  mountains  that 
hang  over  them  in  menacing  cliffs  are  so  lofty,  that  these 
abysses  are  shrouded  in  perpetual  gloom,  except  where  the 
rays  of  a noonday  sun  penetrate  their  depths.  From  the 
steepness  of  the  descent  the  rivers  shoot  down  with  the 
swiftness  of  an  arrow,  filling  the  caverns  with  foam,  and 


848 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


the  air  with  mist.  At  the  very  base  of  this  wild  region  lies 
the  elevated  and  peaceful  valley  of  Bhotan,  vividly  green, 
and  shaded  by  magnificent  forests.  Another  rapid  descent 
of  1,000  feet  leads  to  the  plain  of  the  Ganges. 

The  loftiest  point  of  the  earth  which  man  lias  succeeded 
in  attaining,  the  most  elevated  region  where  he  has  planted 
his  adventurous  foot,  is  the  Himalayan.  The  loftiest  peak 
of  the  Himalaya,  and  of  the  whole  world,  is  the  Guaris - 
anlcar.  One  of  the  most  picturesque  portions  of  the  colos- 
sal chain  of  the  Himalaya  is  the  district  of  Sikkim.  In  this 
surprising  region  are  comprised  the  most  majestic  con- 
trasts. Glaciers  roll  their  slowly-moving  masses  above  the 
realms  of  snow;  lower  down,  the  roaring  torrents  sink,  lost 
to  the  sight  in  profound  abysses;  still  lower,  through  a 
leafy  screen  of  magnolias,  calm  lakes  spread  out  their  glassy 
waters  in  the  midst  of  emerald  green  pastures  and  of  fertile 
valleys. 

The  most  eloquent  pen,  says  Hooker,  the  most  skillful 
pencil,  are  equally  powerless  to  place  before  the  eye  the 
forms  and  colors  of  these  snowy  mountains,  or  to  excite  the 
sensations  and  the  thoughts  which  such  sublime  scenes  at 
once  arouse.  Nothing  can  render  the  precisioh  and  sharp- 
ness of  their  lines,  and  still  less  the  marvelous  effect  of  the 
hues  playing  on  the  snowy  slopes,  the  brilliant  masses 
formed  by  the  combinations  of  orange,  gold,  and  crimson, 
the  clouds  illumined  by  the  sunset,  and  finally  the  fantas- 
tic tint  with  which  everything  is  clothed  at  the  moment  of 
twilight# 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEKEOSCOPE. 


349 


CXXX. — AVALANCHES  AX'D  LAND-FALLS. 

Avalanches  are  those  accumulations  of  snow  which  pre- 
cipitate themselves  from  the  mountains,  either  by  their  own 
weight  or  by  the  loosening  effects  of  the  sum's  heat,  into 
the  valleys  below,  sweeping  everything  before  them,  and 
causing,  at  times,  great,  destruction  of  life  and  propert}^. 
The  fearful  crash  which  accompanies  their  descent  is  often 
heard  at  a distance  of  several  leagues.  The  Alpine  ava- 
lanches have  usually  a fixed  time  for  descending,  and  an 
habitual  channel  down  which  they  slide,  which  may  be 
known  by  its  being  worn  perfectly  smooth — sometimes 
even  appearing  polished — by  the  heap  of  fragments  at  its 
base. 

The  greater  part  of  these  downfalls  of  snow  occur  with 
great  regularity,  so  much  so  that  an  old  mountaineer  who 
is  clever  at  discerning  the  signs  of  the  weather,  can  often 
announce,  by  a mere  glance  at  the  surface  of  the  snow,  the 
exact  time  at  which  the  subsidence  will  take  place.  At  the 
outlets  of  the  wide  mountain  amphitheaters  in  which  the 
snows  of  winter  are  accumulated,  narrow  passages  open, 
hollowed  out  in  the  thickness  of  the  rock.  Like  torrents, 
only  that  they  appear  but  for  a moment  and  are  suddenly 
gone,  the  masses  of  snow  rush  down  the  inclined  beds  af- 
forded them  by  the  narrow  passages,  and  descend  in  long 
trains,  until,  arrived  at  the  ledge  of  their  ravine,  they  pour 
out  over  the  slope 

The  particular  way  in  which  each  avalanche  descends  is, 
of  course,  varied  according  to  the  shape  of  the  moun- 
tain. Before  the  newly-fallen  layers  of  flakes  sufficiently 
adhere  to  the  former  snow,  the  mere  tread  of  the  chamois, 


350 


THE  WOELD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


the  fall  of  a branch  from  some  bush,  or  even  a resounding 
echo.,  is  sufficient  to  disturb  the  unstable  balance  of  the 
upper  sheet  of  snow.  At  first  it  slides  slowly  oyer  the 
hardened  mass  beneath,  until,  reaching  a point  where  the 
slope  of  the  ground  assists  its  progress,  it  rushes  down  with 
an  increasingly  rapid  movement.  Every  moment  it  be- 
comes augmented  by  fresh  beds  of  snow,  and  by  the  stones 
and  brushwood,  which  it  hurries  along  with  it. 

It  makes  its  way  over  the  ledges  and  passages,  tears  down 
the  trees,  sweeps  away  the  houses  which  lie  in  its  path,  and, 
like  the  downfall  of  the  side  of  a mountain,  plunges  into 
the  valley,  sometimes  even  reaching  the  opposite  slope.  All 
around  the  avalanche  powdery  snow  rises  in  broad  eddies ; 
the  air,  being  compressed  laterally  by  the  sinking  mass, 
roars  right  and  left  in  actual  whirlwinds,  which  shake  the 
rocks  and  uproot  the  trees.  Thousands  of  trunks  may 
sometimes  be  seen  thrown  down  by  nothing  but  the  wind 
of  the  avalanche,  when  the  latter  traces  out  for  itself  a wide 
path  across  whole  forests,  and,  as  it  passes,  sweeps  away 
the  hamlets  in  the  valley. 

The  avalanches  seen  and  heard  by  summer  tourists  on 
the  side  of  Mont  Blanc  and  the  Jungfrau  are  of  a differ- 
ent kind  from  those  described  above,  being  caused  only  by 
the  rupture  of  a portion  of  the  glaciers,  which  give  way 
under  the  influence  of  the  mid-day  sun,  and  falling  on 
uiicultivable  and  uninhabited  spots.  The  spectacle  of  these 
distant  snow  avalanches  thundering  down  the  side  of  the 
mountain  is  sublime,  and  draws  thousands  annually  to  the 
heights  above  the  Valley  of  Lauterbrunnen.  A steep,  zig- 
zag path  leads  out  of  the  valley.  After  nearly  an  hour  of 
toilsome  ascent,  passing  the  houses  of  a scattered  hamlet, 
it  reaches  a more  gradual  Mope  of  meadow-land. 

The  Valley  of  Lauterbrunnen,  beneath  whose  precipices  the 
traveler  has  previously  crept  with  some  little  awe,  presents 
from  this  height  the  aspect  of  a mere  trench  ; the  Staub- 
bach  is  reduced  to  a thin  thread,  and  its  upper  fall  and  pre- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


351 


vious  windings,  before  it  makes  its  final  leap,  are  exposed 
to  view.  The  path  crosses  the  meadows  advancing  to- 
wards the  Jungfrau,  which  now  rises  in  front  of  the  specta- 
tor, with  its  vast  expanse  of  snow  and  glacier,  in  all  its 
magnificence.  Not  only  its  summit,  but  all  the  mass  of  the 
mountain  above  the  level  of  the  spectator,  is  white  with 
perpetual  snow  of  virgin  purity,  which  breaks  olf  abruptly 
at  the  edge  of  a black  precipice. 

The  precipice  which  forms  the  base  of  the  mountain,  is 
channeled  with  furrows  or  grooves,  down  which  the  ava- 
lanches descend.  The  attention  is  first  arrested  by  a distant 
roar,  not  unlike  thunder,  and  in  half  a minute  a gush  of 
white  powder,  resembling  a small  cataract,  is  perceived  is- 
suing out  of  one  of  the  upper  grooves  or  gullies ; it  then 
sinks  into  a lower  fissure,  and  is  lost  only  to  reappear 
at  a lower  stage  some  hundred  feet  below. 

By  watching  attentively  the  sloping  white  side  of  the  Jung- 
frau, the  separation  of  the  fragment  of  ice  from  the  mass  of 
the  glacier,  which  produces  this  thunder,  may  be  seen  at 
the  moment  when  disengaged  and  before  the  sound  reaches 
the  ear.  Sometimes  it  merely  slides  down  over  the  surface, 
at  others  it  turns  over  in  a cake ; but  in  an  instant  after  it 
disappears,  is  shattered  to  atoms,  and,  in  passing  through 
the  different  gullies,  is  ground  to  powder  so  fine  that,  as  it 
issues  from  the  lowest,  it  looks  like  a handful  of  meal;  and 
particles  reduced  by  friction  to  dust,  rise  in  a cloud  of 
vapor.  The  spectator  must  bear  in  mind  that  at  each 
discharge  whole  tons  of  ice  are  hurled  down  the  mountain, 
and  that  the  apparently  insignificant  white  dust  is  made  up 
of  blocks  capable  of  sweeping  away  whole  forests,  did  any 
occur  in  its  course,  and  of  overwhelming  houses  and 
villages. 

The  other  avalanches  pour  down  over  the  traveled  moun- 
tain slopes,  and  are  often  sources  of  danger  to  explorers. 
An  interesting  account  has  lately  been  given  by  Tyndall  of 
his  adventures  in  one  of  these  terrible  snow-falls. 


352 


THE  WORLD  IN  TE3E  STEREOSCOPE. 


“We  were  walking,  connected  by  a long  rope,  when  the 
two  leading  men  suddenly  sank  considerably  above  their 
waists.  Bennen  tightened  the  rope.  The  snow  was  too 
deep  to  think  of  getting  out  of  the  hole  they  had  made,  so 
they  advanced  one  or  two  steps,  dividing  the  snow  with 
their  bodies.  Bennen  turned  around,  and  told  us  he  was 
afraid  of  starting  an  avalanche. 

“ Boisonnet  then  advanced ; he  had  made  but  a few  steps 
when  we  heard  a deep,  cutting  sound.  The  snow-field  split 
in  two,  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet  above  us.  The  cleft 
was  at  first  quite  narrow,  not  more  than  an  inch  broad. 
An  awful  silence  ensued;  it  lasted  but  a few  seconds,  and 
then  it  wa» broken  by  Bennen’s  voice:  ‘We  are  all  lost!’ 
His  words  were  slow  and  solemn,  and  those  who  knew  him 
felt  what  they  really  meant  when  spoken  by  such  a man  as 
Bennen.  They  were  his  last  words. 

“ I drove  my  alpenstock  into  the  snow,  and  brought  the 
weight  of  my  body  to  bear  upon  it ; it  went  in  to  within 
three  inches  of  the  top.  I then  waited.  It  was  an  awful 
moment  of  suspense.  I turned  my  head  toward  Bennen 
to  see  whether  he  had  done  the  same  thing.  To  my  aston- 
ishment, I saw  him  turn  round,  face  the  valley,  and  stretch 
out  both  arms.  The  ground  on  which  we  stood  began  to 
move  slowly,  and  I felt  the  utter  uselessness  of  my  alpen- 
stock. I soon  sank  up  to  my  shoulders,  and  began  descend- 
ing backwards.  From  this  moment  I saw  nothing  of  what 
happened  to  the  rest  of  the  party.  With  a good  deal  of 
trouble  I succeeded  in  turning  around.  The  speed  of  the 
avalanche  increased  rapidly,  and  before  long  I was  covered 
up  with  snow,  and  in  utter  darkness.  I was  suffocating, 
when,  with  a jerk,  I suddenly  came  to  the  surface  again. 
The  rope  had  caught  most  probably  on  a rock,  and  this  was 
evidently  the  moment  when  it  broke. 

“ 1 was  on  a wave  of  the  avalanche,  and  saw  it  before  me 
as  I was  carried  down.  It  was  the  most  awful  sight  I ever 
witnessed.  The  head  of  the  avalanche  was  already  at  the 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


353 


spot  where  we  had  made  our  last  halt.  The  head  alone 
was  preceded  by  a thick  cloud  of  snow-dust ; the  rest  of  the 
avalanche  was  clear.  Around  me  I heard  the  horrid  hiss- 
ing of  the  snow,  and  far  above  me  the  thundering  of  the 
foremost  part  of  the  avalanche.  To  prevent  myself  sinking 
again,  I made  use  of  my  arms  much  in  the  same  way  as 
when  swimming  in  a standing  position. 

“ At  last  I noticed  that  I was  moving  slower;  then  I saw 
the  pieces  of  snow  in  front  of  me  stop  at  some  yards’  dis- 
tance; then  the  snow  straight  before  me  stopped,  and  I 
heard,  on  a large  scale,  the  same  creaking  sound  that  is 
produced  when  a heavy  cart  passes  over  hard  frozen  snow 
in  the  winter.  I felt  that  1 also  had  stopped,  and  instantly 
threw  up  both  arms  to  protect  my  head,  in  case  I should 
again  be  covered  up.  I had  stopped,  but  the  snow  behind 
me  was  still  in  motion ; its  pressure  on  my  body  was  so 
strong  that  I thought  I should  be  crushed  to  death. 

“ This  tremendous  pressure  lasted  but  a short  time,  and 
ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  begun.  I was  then  covered  up 
by  snow  coming  from  behind  me.  My  first  impulse  was  to 
try  and  uncover  my  head,  but  this  I could  not  do ; the 
avalanche  had  frozen  by  pressure  the  moment  it  had  stop- 
ped, and  I was  frozen  in.  Whilst  trying  vainly  to  move  my 
arms,  I suddenly  became  aware  that  the  hands,  as  far  as 
the  wrist,  had  the  faculty  of  motion.  The  conclusion  was 
easy:  they  must  be  above  the  snow.  I set  to  work  as  well 
as  I could ; it  was  time,  for  I could  not  have  held  out  much 
longer.  At  last  I saw  a faint  glimrner  of  light.  The  crust 
* above  my  head  was  getting  thinner,  and  it  let  a little  air 
pass;  but  I could  not  reach  it  any  more  with  my  hands. 
The  idea  struck  me  that  I might  pierce  it  with  my  breath. 
After  several  efforts  I succeeded  in  doing  so,  and  felt  sud- 
denly a rush  of  air  toward  my  mouth.  I saw  the  sky  again 
through  a little  round  hole.  I was  at  length  taken  out: 
the  snow  had  to  be  cut  with  an  axe,  down  to  my  feet,  be- 
fore I could  be  pulled  out.” 


354 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


In  addition  to  these  snow  avalanches,  there  sometimes 
occur  among  mountains  downfalls  of  earth  and  rock,  which 
are  even  more  tremendous  than  the  largest  avalanche  of 
snow  and  ice.  We  shall  close  the  present  chapter  with  the 
selection  of  some  notices  of  these  terrible  changes  in  the 
mountain  citadels  of  the  earth. 

Perpendicular  or  overhanging  rocks,  which  seem  to  hang 
suspended  over  the  plains,  sometimes  suddenly  become  de- 
tached, and  rush  headlong  down  the  mountain  side;  in 
their  rapid  fall  they  raise  a cloud  of  dust,  like  the  ashes 
vomited  forth  by  a volcano ; a horrible  darkness  is  spread 
over  the  once  pleasant  valley ; and  the  fall  is  known  only 
by  the  trembling  of  the  ground  and  the  crushing  din  of  the 
rocks  striking  together,  and  shattering  one  another  in 
pieces.  When  the  cloud  of  dust  is  cleared  away,  nothing 
but  heaps  of  stones  and  rubbish  are  to  be  seen  where  pas- 
tures and  cultivated  land  once  were;  the  stream  flowing 
down  the  valley  is  obstructed  in  its  course,  and  changed 
into  a muddy* lake;  the  rampart  of  rocks  has  lost  its  old 
form,  and  on  its  sides,  from  which  some  fragments  are  still 
crumbling  down,  the  sharpened  edges  point  out  the  bared 
cliff,  from  which  a whole  quarter  of  the  mountain  has  bro- 
ken away. 

Southward  of  Plaisance,  in  Italy,  an  ancient  Eoman 
town  was  buried,  about  the  fourth  century,  and  the  large 
quantity  of  bones  and  coins  that  have  been  found  proves 
that  the  fall  of  the  rocks  was  so  sudden  that  it  did  not  even 
afford  the  inhabitants  any  chance  of  escape.  Another  Eo- 
man town,  situated,  it  is  said,  on  the  banks  of  the  Lake  of 
Geneva,  was  completely  crushed  in  A.D.  563,  by  a downfall 
of  rocks ; the  declivity  that  it  formed  may  still  be  seen  ad- 
vancing, like  a headland,  into  the  waters  of  the  lake,  which 
at  this  spot  is  not  less  than  520  feet  deep.  A terrible  flood- 
wave,  produced  by  the  deluge  of  stones,  invaded  the  oppo- 
site shores  of  the  lake,  and  swept  away  all  the  habitations ; 
every  town  and  every  village  on  the  banks  was  demolished ; 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


355 


and  they  did  not  commence  to  rebuild  them  until  the  fol- 
lowing century.  Geneva  itself  was  in  part  covered  by  the 
water,  and  the  bridge  over  the  Rhone  was  swept  away. 

No  catastrophe  of  this  kind  has  left  more  fearful  remem- 
brances of  horror  than  the  fall  of  a section  of  the  Rossberg, 
on  the  2d  of  September,  1806.  The  season,  which  had  just 
terminated,  had  been  very  rainy,  and  the  clay  strata  had 
gradually  changed  into  a muddy  mass ; at  last,  the  rocks 
above,  losing  their  supporting  basis,  began  to  slip  down  the 
mountain  side,  plowing  up  the  ground  in  front  of  them, 
as  the  bow  of  a ship  pushes  up  the  water  before  it.  Sud- 
denly a general  break-up  took  place.  In  a moment  an 
enormous  mass,  carrying  with  it  its  forests,  meadows,  ham- 
lets and  inhabitants,  rushed  down  into  the  plain.  Flames, 
produced  by  the  friction  of  the  rocks  striking  and  rubbing 
against  one  another,  broke  in  fiery  jets  from  the  half- 
opened  mountain.  The  water  deposited  in  the  deep  beds, 
suddenly  converted  into  steam,  burst  out  with  explosive 
force,  and  showers  of  mud  and  stones  were  vomited  out  as 
from  the  mouth  of  a volcano. 

The  charming  plains  and  four  villages,  inhabited  by 
nearly  a thousand  persons,  disappeared  under  the  heaps  of 
rubbish.  The  neighboring  lake  was  partly  filled  up ; and 
the  furious  wave  which  the  falling  mass  drove  up  on  to  the 
banks  swept  away  all  the  houses  on  it.  The  catastrophe 
occurred  in  so  sudden  a w^ay  that  the  very  birds  were  killed 
as  they  were  flying  in  the  air.  The  portion  of  the  moun- 
tain which  slipped  down  was  not  less  than  two  miles  and  a 
half  long,  by  about  350  yards  wide  and  thirty-five  yards 
thick. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


CNXXI. — ODE  TO  THE  MOON. 

Mother  of  light  ! how  fairly  dost  thou  go 
Over  those  hoary  crests,  divinely  led  ! 

Art  thou  that  Huntress  of  the  Silver  Bow, 

Fabled  of  old?  Or  rather  dost  thou  tread 
Those  cloudy  summits  thence  to  gaze  below, 

Like  the  wild  chamois  on  her  Alpine  snow, 
Where  hunter  never  climb’d — secure  from  dread  ? 
A thousand  ancient  fancies  I have  read 
Of  that  fair  presence,  and  a thousand  wrought 
Wr ondrous  and  bright, 

Upon  the  silver  light, 

Tracing  fresh  figures  with  the  artist  thought. 

What  art  thou  like  ? sometimes  I see  thee  ride 
A far-bound  galley  on  its  perilous  way  ; 

Whilst  breezy  waves  toss  up  their  silvery  spray ; 

Sometimes  behold  thee  glide 
Clustered  by  all  thy  family  of  stars, 

Like  a lone  widow  through  the  welkin  wide, 
Whose  pallid  cheek  the  midnight  sorrow  mars ; 
Sometimes  I watch  thee  on  from  steep  to  steep. 
Timidly  lighted  by  thy  vestal  torch. 

Till  in  some  Latmian  cave  I see  thee  creep. 

To  catch  the  young  Endymion  asleep, 

Leaving  thy  splendor- at  the  jagged  porch. 

O thou  art  beautiful,  howe’er  it  be  ! 

Huntress  or  Dian,  or  whatever  named — 

And  he,  the  veriest  Pagan,  who  first  framed 
A silver  idol,  and  ne’er  worshipp’d  thee  ; 

It  is  too  late  now  for  the  old  Ephesian  vows, 
And  not  divine  the  crescent  on  thy  brows ; 

Yet,  call  thee  nothing  but  the  mere  mild  Moon 
Behind  those  chestnut  boughs. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


357 


Casting  their  dappled  shadows  at  my  feet, 

I will  be  grateful  for  that  simple  boon, 

In  many  a thoughtful  verse  and  anthem  sweet, 
And  bless  thy  dainty  face  whene’er  we  meet. 


In  nights  far  gone — ay,  far  away  and  dead, 

Before  Care  fretted  with  a lidless  eye, 

I was  thy  wooer  on  my  little  bed, 

And  watched  thy  silver  advent  in  the  sky ; 

Letting  the  downy  hours  of  rest  go  by. 

To  see  thee  flood  the  heavens  with  milky  light, 

And  feed  thy  snowy  swans  before  I slept ; 

Eor  thou  wert  then  purveyor  of  my  dreams — 

Thou  wert  the  Fairies’ armorer,  that  kept 

Their  burnished  helms,  and  crowns,  and  corslets  bright  — 

Their  spears  and  glittering  mails ; — 

And  ever  thou  didst  spill  in  wandering  streams, 

Sparkles  and  midnight  gleam, 

For  fishes  to  new  gloss  their  argent  scales. 

Why  sighs  ? why  creeping  tears  ? why  clasped  hands  ? 
Is  it  to  count  the  boy’s  expended  dower? 

That  Fairies  since  have  broke  their  gifted  wands, 

That  young  Delight,  like  any  o’erblown  flower. 

Gave,  one  by  one,  its  sweet  leaves  to  the  ground 
Why  then,  fair  Moon,  for  all  thou  mark’st  no  hour 
Thou  art  a sadder  dial  to  Old  Time 
Than  ever  I have  found 
On  sunny  garden-plot,  or  moss-grown  tower, 

Mottoed  with  stern  and  melancholy  rhyme  ! 

Why  should  I grieve  for  this  ? Oh  I must  yearn 
Whilst  Time,  conspirator  with  Memory, 

Keeps  his  cold  ashes  in  an  antique  urn, 

Richly  emboss’d  with  childish  revelry, — 

With  leaves,  and  clustered  fruits,  and  flowers  eterne 
Eternal  to  the  world,  though  not  to  me, — 

Ay,  there  will  those  young  sports  and  blossoms  be 
The  deathless  wreath  and  undecay’d  festoon, 

When  I am  hearsed  within, 

Less  than  yon  pallid  primrose  to  the  Moon, 

Whom  now  she  watches  through  her  vapors  thin. 


358 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


So  let  it  be  : before  I lived  to  sigh, 

Thou  wert  in  Avon,  and  a thousand  rills- — 
Beautiful  orb  ! and  so  v/hene’er  I lie 
Trodden,  thou  wilt  be  gazing  from  thy  hills — ' 
Bless’d  be  thy  loving  light  where’er  it  spills, 
And  blessed  thy  fair  face,  0 Mother  mild ; 

Still  put  a soul  in  rivers  as  they  run  ; 

Still  lend  thy  lovely  lamp  to  Jovers  fond, 

And  blend  their  plighted  shadows  into  one  ; 
Still  smile  at  even  on  the  bedded  child, 

And  close  his  eyelids  with  thy  silver  wand  ! 


CXXXIL— AN  ADVENTURE  AT  THE  NATUKAL 
BRIDGE,  IN  VIRGINIA. 

There  are  three  or  four  lads  standing  in  the  channel 
below,  looking  np  with  awe  to  that  vast  arch  of  unhewn 
rocks,  which  the  Almighty  bridged  oyer  those  everlasting 
hutments  “ when  the  morning  stars  sang  together.”  The 
little  piece  of  sky  spanning  those  measureless  piers  is  full 
of  stars  although  it  is  mid-day. 

It  is  almost  five  hundred  feet  from  where  they  stand,  up 
those  perpendicular  bulwarks  of  limestone,  to  the  key  rock 
of  that  vast  arch,  which  appears  to  them  only  of  the  size  of 
a man’s  hand.  The  silence  of  death  is  rendered  more  im- 
pressive by  the  little  stream  that  falls  from  rock  to  rock 
down  the  channel.  The  sun  is  darkened,  and  the  boys 
have  unconsciously  uncovered  their  heads,  as  if  standing  in 
the  presence-chamber  of  the  majesty  of  the  whole  earth. 

At  last  this  feeling  begins  to  wear  away ; they  begin  to 
look  around  them ; they  find  that  others  have  been  there 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


359 


before  them.  They  see  the  names  of  hundreds  cut  in  the 
limestone  hutments.  A new  feeling  comes  oyer  their  young 
hearts,  and  their  knives  are  in  their  hands  in  an  instant. 
“ What  man  has  done,  man  can  do,”  is  their  watchword, 
while  they  draw  themselves  up,  and  carve  their  names  a 
foot  above  those  of  a hundred  full-grown  men,  who  have 
been  there  before  them. 

They  are  all  satisfied  with  this  feat  of  physical  exertion, 
except  one,  whose  example  illustrates  perfectly  the  forgotten 
truth,  that  there  is  no  royal  road  to  intellectual  eminence. 
This  ambitious  youth  sees  a name  just  above  his  reach;  a 
name  that  will  be  green  in  the  memory  of  the  world,  when 
those  of  Csesar  and  Bonaparte  shall  rot  in  oblivion.  It  was 
the  name  of  Washington.  Before  he  marched  with  Brad- 
dock  to  that  fatal  field,  he  had  been  there,  and  left  his 
name  a foot  above  all  his  predecessors. 

It  was  a glorious  thought  of  the  boy,  to  write  his  name 
side  by  side  with  that  of  the  great  father  of  his  country. 
He  grasps  his  knife  with  a firmer  hand ; and  clinging  to  a 
jutting  crag,  he  cuts  a niche  in  the  limestone  about  a foot 
above  where  he  stands  ; he  then  reaches  up  and  cuts  another 
for  his  hands.  ’Tis  a dangerous  adventure  ; but,  as  he  puts 
his  feet  and  hands  into  those  niches,  and  draws  himself  up 
carefully  to  his  full  length,  he  finds  himself  a foot  above 
every  name  chronicled  in  that  mighty  wall. 

While  his  companions  are  regarding  him  with  concern  and 
admiration,  he  cuts  his  name  in  rude  capitals,  large  and 
deep  into  that  flinty  album.  His  knife  is  still  in  his  hand, 
and  strength  in  his  sinews,  and  a new  created  aspiration  in 
his  heart.  Again  he  cuts  another  niche,  and  again  he  carves 
his  name  in  larger  capitals.  This  is  not  enough ; heedless 
of  the  entreaties  of  his  companions,  he  cuts  and  climbs 
again.  The  gradations  of  his  ascending  scale  grow  wider 
apart.  He  measures  his  length  at  every  gain  he  cuts.  The 
voices  of  his  friends  wax  weaker  and  weaker,  till  their  words 
are  finally  lost  on  his  ear. 


SCO 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


He  now,  for  the  first  time,  casts  a look  beneath  him. 
Had  that  glance  lasted  a moment,  that  moment  would  have 
been  his  last.  He  clings  with  a convulsive  shudder  to  his 
little  niche  in  the  rock.  An  awful  abyss  awaits  his  almost 
certain  fall.  He  is  faint  with  severe  exertion,  and  trem- 
bling from  the  sudden  view  of  the  dreadful  destruction  to 
which  he  is  exposed.  His  knife  is  worn  halfway  to  the 
haft.  He  can  hear  the  voices,  but  not  the  words,  of  his 
terror-stricken  companions  below. 

What  a moment ! What  a meager  chance  to  escape 
destruction ! There  is  no  retracing  his  steps.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  put  his  hands  into  the  same  niche  with  his  feet  and 
retain  his  slender  hold  a moment.  His  companions  in- 
stantly perceive  this  new  and  fearful  dilemma,  and  await 
his  fall  with  emotions  that  “ freeze  their  young  blood.” 

He  is  too  high,  too  faint  to  ask  for  his  father  and  mother,' 
his  brothers  and  sisters,  to  come  and  witness  or  avert  his 
destruction.  But  one  of  his  companions  anticipates  his 
desire.  Swift  as  the  wind,  he  bounds  down  the  channel, 
and  the  situation  of  the  fated  boy  is  told  upon  his  father’s 
hearthstone. 

Minutes  of  almost  eternal  length  roll  on,  and  there  are 
hundreds  standing  in  that  rocky  channel,  and  hundreds  on 
the  bridge  above,  all  holding  their  breath,  and  awaiting  the 
fearful  catastrophe.  The  poor  boy  hears  the  hum  of  new 
and  numerous  voices  both  above  and  below.  He  can  first 
distinguish  the  tones  of  his  father,  who  is  shouting  with  all 
the  energy  of  despair:  "William!  William!  don’t  look 
down ! Your  mother,  and  Henry,  and  Harriet,  are  all 
here,  praying  for  you,  keep  your  eye  toward  the  top !” 

The  boy  didn’t  look  down.  His  eye  is  fixed  like  a flint 
toward  heaven,  and  his  young  heart  on  Him  who  reigns 
there.  He  grasps  again  his  knife.  He  cuts  another  niche, 
and  another  foot  is  added  to  the  hundreds  that  remove  him 
from  the  reach  of  human  help  from  below. 

How  carefully  lie  uses  liis  wasting  blade ! How  anx- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


361 


iously  he  selects  the  softest  places  in  that  vast  pier!  How 
he  avoids  every  flinty  grain ! How  he  economizes  his 
physical  powers,  resting  a moment  at  each  gain  he  cuts ! 
How  every  motion  is  watched  from  below ! There  stand 
his  father,  mother,  brother  and  sister,  on  the  very  spot 
where,  if  he  falls,  he  will  not  fall  alone. 

The  sun  is  now  half  way  down  the  west.  The  lad  has 
made  fifty  additional  niches  in  that  mighty  wall,  and  now 
finds  himself  directly  under  the  middle  of  that  vast  arch  of 
rocks,  earth  and  trees.  He  must  cut  his  way  in  a new 
direction,  to  get  from  under  this  overhanging  mountain. 

The  inspiration  of  hope  is  dying  in  his  bosom ; its  vital 
heat  is  fed  by  the  increasing  shouts  of  hundreds,  perched 
upon  clifls  and  trees,  and  others  who  stand  with  ropes  in 
their  hands,  on  the  bridge  above,  or  with  ladders  below. 
Fifty  gains  more  must  be  cut  before  the  longest  rope  can 
reach  him.  His  wasting  blade  strikes  again  into  the  lime- 
stone. The  boy  is  emerging  painfully,  foot  by  foot,  from 
under  that  lofty  arch.  Spliced  ropes  are  ready  in  the  hands 
of  those  who  are  leaning  over  the  outer  edge  of  the 
bridge. 

Two  minutes  more  and  all  will  be  over.  The  blade  is 
worn  to  the  last  half  inch.  The  boy’s  head  reels ; his  eyes 
are  starting  from  their  sockets.  His  last  hope  is  dying  in 
his  heart;  his  life  must  hang  upon  the  next  gain  he  cuts. 
That  niche  is  his  last.  At  the  last  faint  gash  he  makes,  his 
knife,  his  faithful  knife,  falls  from  his  little  nerveless  hand, 
and  ringing  along  the  precipice,  falls  at  his  mother’s  feet. 

An  involuntary  groan  of  despair  runs  like  a death-knell 
through  the  channel  below,  and  all  is  as  still  as  the  grave. 
At  the  height  of  nearly  three  hundred  feet,  the  devoted  boy 
lifts  his  hopeless  heart,  and  closes  his  eyes  to  commend  his 
soul  to  God.  ’Tis  but  a moment — there ! one  foot  swings 
off!  he  is  reeling — trembling — toppling — over  into  eternity! 

Hark!  a shout  falls  on  his  ear  from  above.  The  man 
who  is  lying  with  half  his  length  over  the  bridge  has 
16 


362 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


caught  a glimpse  of  the  boy’s  head  and  shoulders.  Quick 
as  thought  the  noosed  rope  is  within  reach  of  the  sinking 
youth.  Iso  one  breathes.  With  a faint,  convulsive  effort, 
the  swooning  boy  drops  his  arms  into  the  noose.  Darkness 
comes  over  him,  and  with  the  words  God  and  Mother! 
whispered  on  his  lips,  just  loud  enough  to  be  heard  in 
heaven — the  tightening  rope  lifts  him  out  of  this  last  shal- 
low niche. 

Not  a lip  moves  while  he  is  dangling  over  that  fearful 
abyss;  but  when  a sturdy  Virginian  reaches  down  and 
draws  up  the  lad,  and  holds  him  up  in  his  arms  before  the 
tearful,  breathless  multitude,  such  shouting — such  leaping 
and  weeping  for  joy — never  greeted  the  ear  of  a human 
being  so  recovered  from  the  yawning  gulf  of  eternity. 


CXXXIII.— DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS. 

We  were  roused  as  soon  as  the  day  dawned,  by  Antony, 
our  faithful  Greek  servant  and  interpreter,  with  the  intelli- 
gence that  the  Pyramids  were  in  view.  We  hastened  from 
the  cabin;  and  never  will  the  impression  made  by  their 
appearance  be  obliterated.  By  reflecting  the  sun’s  rays, 
they  appear  as  white  a*s  snow,  and  of  such  'surprising  mag- 
nitude, that  nothing  we  had  previously  conceived  in  our 
imagination  had  prepared  us  for  the  spectacle  we  beheld. 

The  sight  instantly  convinced  us  that  no  power  of  de- 
scription, no  delineation,  can  convey  ideas  adequate  to  the 
effect  produced  in  viewing  these  stupendous  monuments. 
The  formality  of  their  construction  is  lost  in  their  pro- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


363 


digious  magnitude ; the  mind,  elevated  by  wonder,  feels  at 
once  the  force  of  an  axiom,  which,  however  disputed,  ex- 
perience confirms,  that  in  vastness,  whatsoever  be  its 
nature,  there  dwells  sublimity. 

Another  proof  of  their  indescribable  power  is,  that  no 
one  ever  approached  them  with  other  emotions  than  those 
of  terror,  which  is  another  principal  source  of  the  sublime. 
In  certain  instances  of  irritable  feeling,  this  impression  of 
awe  and  fear  has  been  so  great  as  to  cause  pain  rather  than 
pleasure ; hence,  perhaps,  have  originated  descriptions  of 
the  Pyramids  which  represent  them  as  deformed  and 
gloomy  masses,  without  taste  or  beauty. 

Persons  who  have  derived  no  satisfaction  from  the  con- 
templation of  them,  may  not  have  been  conscious  that  the 
uneasiness  which  they  experience  was  a result  of  their  own 
sensibility.  Others  have  acknowledged  ideas  widely  differ- 
ent, excited  by  every  wonderful  circumstance  of  character 
and  of  situation — ideas  of  duration,  almost  endless;  of 
power,  inconceivable;  of  majesty,  supreme;  of  solitude,' 
most  awful ; of  grandeur,  of  desolation,  and  of  repose. 

Upon  the  23d  of  August,  1812,  we  set  out  for  the  Pyra- 
mids, the  inundation  enabling  us  to  approach  within  less 
than  a mile  of  the  larger  Pyramid  in  our  boats.  Our  ap- 
proach to  the  Pyramids  was  through  a swampy  country, 
by  means  of  a narrow  canal,  which,  however,  was  deep 
enough;  and  we  arrived,  without  any  obstacle,  at  nine 
o’clock,  at  the  bottom  of  a sandy  slope,  leading  up  to  the 
principal  Pyramid.  Some  Bedouin  Arabs,  who  had  as- 
sembled to  receive  us  upon  our  landing,  were  much  amused 
by  the  eagerness  excited  in  our  whole  party,  to  prove  who 
should  first  set  his  foot  upon  the  summit  of  this  artificial 
mountain. 

With  what  amazement  did  we  survey  the  vast  surface 
that  was  presented  to  us,  when  we  arrived  at  this  stupend- 
ous monument  which  seemed  to  reach  the  clouds ! Here 
and  there  appeared  some  Arab  guides  upon  the  immense 


364 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


masses  above  us,  like  so  many  pigmies,  waiting  to  show  the 
way  to  the  summit.  Isow  and  then  we  thought  we  heard 
voices,  and  listened;  but  it  was  the  wind  in  powerful  gusts 
sweeping  the  immense  ranges  of  stone. 

Already  some  of  our  party  had  begun  the  ascent,  and  were 
pausing  at  the  tremendous  depth  which  they  saw  below. 
One  of  our  military  company,  after  having  surmounted  the 
most  difficult  part  of  the  undertaking,  became  giddy  in  con- 
sequence of  looking  down  from  the  elevation  he  had  at- 
tained, and,  being  compelled  to  abandon  the  project,  he 
hired  an  Arab  to  assist  him  in  effecting  his  descent.  The 
rest  of  us,  more  accustomed  to  the  business  of  climbing 
heights,  with  many  a halt  for  respiration,  and  many  an 
exclamation  of  wonder,  pursued  our  way  toward  the  sum- 
mit. 

The  mode  of  ascent  has  been  frequently  described ; and 
yet,  from  the  questions  which  are  often  proposed  to  travel- 
ers, it  does  not  appear  to  be  generally  understood.  The 
reader  may  imagine  himself  to  be  upon  a staircase,  every  step 
of  which,  to  a man  of  middle  stature,  is  nearly  breast  high, 
and  the  breadth  of  each  step  is  equal  to  its  height;  conse- 
quently, the  footing  is  secure;  and,  although  a retrospect, 
in  going  up,  be  sometimes  fearful  to  persons  unaccustomed 
to  look  down  from  any  considerable  elevation,  yet  there  is 
little  danger  of  falling.  In  some  places,  indeed,  where  the 
stones  are  decayed,  caution  may  be  required,  and  an  Arab 
guide  is  always  necessary  to  avoid  a total  interruption;  but, 
upon  the  whole,  the  means  of  ascent  are  such  that  almost 
every  one  may  accomplish  it. 

Our  progress  was  impeded  by  other  causes.  We  carried 
with  us  a few  instruments,  such  as  our  boat-compass,  a 
thermometer,  a telescope,  &c.;  these  could  not  be  trusted 
in  the  hands  of  the  Arabs,  and  they  were  liable  to  be  broken 
every  instant.  At  length  we  reached  the  topmost  tier,  to 
the  great  delight  and  satisfaction  of  all  the  party.  Here 
we  found  a platform  thirty-two  feet  square,  consisting  of 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


365 


nine  large  stones,  each  of  which  might  weigh  about  a ton, 
although  they  are  much  inferior  in  size  to  some  of  the  stones 
used  in  the  construction  of  this  Pyramid. 

Travelers  of  all  ages  and  of  various  nations  have  here 
inscribed  their  napes.  Some  are  written  in  Greek,  many 
in  French,  a few  in  Arabic,  one  or  two  in  English,  and 
others  in  Latin.  We  were  as  desirous  as  our  predecessors 
to  leave  a memorial  of  our  arrival ; it  seemed  to  be  a tribute 
of  thankfulness  due  for  the  success  of  our  undertaking;  and 
presently  every  one  of  our  party  was  seen  busied  in  adding 
the  inscription  of  his  name. 

The  view  from  this  eminence  amply  fulfilled  our  expecta- 
tions ; nor  do  the  accounts  which  have  been  given  of  it,  as 
it  appears  at  this  season  of  the  year,  exaggerate  the  novelty 
and  grandeur  of  the  sight.  All  the  region  toward  Cairo  and 
the  Delta  resembled  a sea  covered  with  innumerable  islands. 
Forests  of  palm  trees  were  seen  standing  in  the  water,  the 
inundation  spreading  over  the  land  where  they  stood,  so  as 
to  giv£  them  an  appearance  of  growing  in  the  flood. 

To  the  north,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  nothing  could 
be  discerned  but  a watery  surface  thus  diversified  by  planta- 
tions and  by  villages.  To  the  south  we  saw  the  Pyramids 
of  Saccara;  and,  upon  the  east  of  these,  smaller  monuments 
of  the  same  kind  nearer  to  the  Nile.  An  appearance  of 
bums  might,  indeed,  be  traced  the  whole  way  from  these 
Pyramids  to  those  of  Saccara,  as  if  they  had  once  been  con- 
nected so  as  to  constitute  one  vast  cemetery. 

Beyond  the  Pyramids  of  Saccara  we  could  perceive  the 
distant  mountains  of  the  Said;  and,  upon  an  eminence  near 
the  Lybian  side  of  the  Nile,  appeared  a monastery  of  con- 
siderable size.  Toward  the  west  and  southwest  the  eye 
ranged  over  the  great  Lybian  Desert,  extending  to  the 
utmost  verge  of  the  horizon,  without  a single  object  to  in- 
terrupt the  dreary  horror  of  the  landscape,  except  dark 
floating  spots  caused  by  the  shadows  of  passing  clouds  upon 
the  sand. 


366 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


Upon  the  south-east  side  is  the  gigantic  statue  of  the 
Sphinx,  the  most  colossal  piece  of  sculpture  which  remains 
of  all  the  works  executed  by  the  ancients.  The  French 
have  uncovered  all  the  pedestal  of  this  statue,  and  all  the 
cumbent  or  leonine  parts  of  the  figure ; these  were  before 
entirely  concealed  by  sand.  Instead,  however,  of  answering 
the  expectations  raised  concerning  the  work  upon  which  it 
was  supposed  to  rest,  the  pedestal  proves  to  be  a wretched 
superstructure  of  brick-work  and  small  pieces  of  stone  put 
together,  like  the  most  insignificant  piece  of  modern  ma- 
sonry, and  wholly  out  of  character,  both  with  respect  to 
the  prodigious  labor  bestowed  upon  the  statue  itself,  and 
the  gigantic  appearance  of  the  surrounding  objects. 


CXXXIV.— THE  PARTHENON  OF  ATHENS. 

Fair  Parthenon  ! yet  still  must  Fancy  weep 
For  thee,  thou  work  of  nobler  spirits  flown. 

Bright,  as  of  old,  the  sunbeams  o’er  thee  sleep 
In  all  their  beauty  still — and  thine  is  gone  ! 

Empires  have  sunk  since  thou  wast  first  revered, 

And  varying  rites  have  sanctified  thy  shrine. 

Mourn,  graceful  ruin  ! on  thy  sacred  hill. 

Thy  gods,  thy  rites,  a kindred  fate  have  shared: 

Yet  art  thou  honored  in  each  fragment  still 

That  wasting  years  and  barbarous  hands  have  spared ; 

Each  hallow’d  stone,  from  rapine’s  fury  borne, 

/Shall  make  bright  dreams  of  thee  in  ages  yet  unborn. 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


367 


CXXXV. — VTEV7  OF  THE  COLISEUM. 

I went  to  see  the  Coliseum  by  moonlight.  It  is  the 
monarch,  the  majesty  of  all  ruins ; there  is  nothing  like  it. 
All  the  associations  of  the  place,  too,  give  it  the  most  impres- 
sive character.  When  you  enter  within  this  stupendous  circle 
of  ruinous  walls  and  arches  and  grand  terraces  of  masonry, 
rising  one  above  another,  you  stand  upon  the  arena  of  ilie 
old  gladiatorial  combats  and  Christian  martyrdoms;  and, 
as  you  lift  your  eyes  to  the  vast  amphitheater,  you  meet, 
in  imagination,  the  eyes  of  a hundred  thousand  Romans, 
assembled  to  witness  these  bloody  spectacles.  Y7hat  a mul- 
titude and  mighty  array  of  human  beings ! and  how  little 
do  we  know  in  modern  times  of  great  assemblies!  One, 
two,  and  three,  and  at  its  last  enlargement  by  Constantine, 
more  than  three  hundred  thousand  persons  could  be  seated 
in  the  Circus  ’ Maximus ! 

But  to  return  to  the  Coliseum ; we  went  up,  under  the 
conduct  of  a guide,  upon  the  walls  and  terraces  or  embank- 
fhe nt§  which  supported  the  ranges  of  seats.  The  seats  have 
long  since  disappeared;  and  grass  overgrows  the  spots 
where  the  pride,  and  power,  and  wealth,  and  beauty  of 
Rome  sat  down  to  its  barbarous  entertainments. 

What  thronging  life  was  here  then — what  voices,  what 
greetings,  what  hurrying  footsteps  up  the  staircases  of  the 
eighty  arches  of  entrance!  And  now,  as  we  picked  our 
way  carefully  through  the  decayed  passages,  or  cautiously 
ascended  some  mouldering  flight  of  steps,  or  stood  by  the 
lonely  walls — ourselves  silent,  and,  for  a wonder,  the  guide 
silent  too — there  was  no  sound  here  but  of  the  bat,  and 
none  came  from  without  but  the  roll  of  a distant  carriage 


368 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


or  the  convent  bell  from  the  summit  of  the  neighboring 
Esquiline. 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  describe  the  effect  of  moonlight 
upon  this  ruin.  Through  a hundred  rents  in  the  broken 
walls,  through  a hundred  lonely  arches  and  blackened 
passage-ways,  it  streamed  in,  pure,  bright,  soft,  lambent, 
and  yet  distinct  and  clear,  as  if  it  came  there  at  once  to 
reveal,  and  cheer,  and  pity  the  mighty  desolation.  But  if 
the  Coliseum  is  a mournful  and  desolate  spectacle  as  seen 
from  within — without,  and  especially  on  the  side  which  is 
in  best  preservation,  it  is  glorious.  We  passed  around  it; 
and,  as  we  looked  upward,  the  moon  shining  through  its 
arches,  from  the  opposite  side,  it  appeared  as  if  it  were  the 
coronet  of  the  heavens,  so  vast  was  it — or  like  a glorious 
crown  upon  the  brow  of  night. 

I feel  that  I do  not  and  cannot  describe  this  mighty  ruin. 
I can  only  say  that  I came  away  paralyzed  and  as  passive  as 
a child.  A soldier  stretched  out  his  hand  for  a gratuity,  as 
we  passed  the  guard ; and  when  my  companions  said  I did 
wrong  to  give,  I told  him  that  I should  have  given  my 
cloak,  if  the  man  had  asked  it.  Would  you  break  any  spell 
that  worldly  feeling  or  selfish  sorrow  may  have  spread  over 
your  mind,  go  and  see  the  Coliseum  by  moonlight. 


CXXXYI. — BBIDGES. 

A bridge  is  a structure  raised  for  the  convenience  of  pass- 
ing a river,  canal  or  valley,  and  formed  of  various  materials, 
such  as  timber,  stone,  iron,  etc.  The  construction  of  per- 
fect bridges  is  a complex  operation,  and  even  among  ancient 


• THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


369 


nations,  did  not  always  keep  pace  with  the  progress  of  other 
arts.  The  type  of  the  primitive  bridges  of  earlier  ages  is  to 
be  fonnd  at  the  present  day  among  rude  and  uncultivated 
nations,  and  consists  simply  of  lintels  of  wood  stretching 
from  bank  to  bank,  or  when  the  span  rendered  this  imprac- 
ticable, resting  on  piers  or  posts  fixed  in  the  bed  of  the  river. 

The  inevitable  frequency  of  these  in  a rapid  stream,  and 
consequent  contraction  of  the  water-way,  would  result  in  a 
torrent  injurious  to  navigation,  and  destructive  to  the  piers 
themselves ; hence  it  would  be  found  essential  to  the  sta- 
bility of  such  structures,  that  the  openings  should  be  suffi- 
ciently wide  to  allow  every  facility  for  the  passage  of  the 
water,  and  as  this  could  only  be  effected  by  arches  or  trusses, 
it  is  evident  that  these  inventions  were  perfected  before 
bridges  of  any  magnitude  became  common. 

Stone  bridges  were  first  constructed  by  the  Romans; 
neither  in  India,  Egypt,  nor  Greece  were  they  ever  known. 
There  were  as  many  as  eight  important  bridges  in  Rome. 
From  the  fall  of  the  Roman  empire  to  the  establishment  of 
modern  Europe  we  have  no  account  of  any  bridges  worthy 
of  note  except  those  built  by  the  Moors  in  Spain. 

One  of  the  oldest  of  modern  bridges,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
most  elegant,  is  the  famous  Rialto  bridge  of  Venice.  This 
was  designed  by  Michael  Angelo,  and  erected,  in  1590 ; it 
has  a single  span  of  98|-  feet,  with  23  feet  rise.  Venice  con- 
tains more  bridges  than  any  other  city  in  the  world,  the 
whole  number  being  estimated  at  340.  Pontoon  bridges 
are  of  very  ancient  origin,  and  are  very  generally  employed 
at  the  present  day  in  military  affairs,  being  used  as  tempo- 
rary structures.  Examples  of  boat-bridges  as  continual 
thoroughfares  may  be  seen  on  the  river  Rhine,  at  Coblenz, 
Cologne,  and  other  points. 

The  primitive  suspension  bridges  were  made  of  rope  and 
were  used  in  mountainous  countries,  for  the  passage  or 
gorges.  The  ancient  Peruvians  constructed  numerous 
bridges  of  this  sort  over  the  Andes,  the  principal  materia 
16* 


370 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


being  ropes  formed  of  the  bark  of  trees  ; sometimes  a road- 
way was  constructed,  and  at  others  the  transit  was  effected 
by  means  of  a basket  supported  by  a rope,  and  drawn  oyer 
alternately  from  one  side  to  the  other. 

The  same  plan  is  used  to-day  in  some  parts  of  Europe,  a 
good  instance  being  the  rope-bridge  at  Carrick-a-rede,  Ire- 
land. The  wire  suspension  bridge,  the  greatest  of  modern 
improvements  in  this  class  of  work,  has  its  finest  example 
in  the  bridge  over  the  Niagara  river.  Its  span  is  821  feet; 
14,560  wires  are  employed  in  the  cables ; and  their  ultimate 
strength  is  estimated  at  12,000  tons.  The  elevation  of  the 
railway  track  above  the  water  is  245  feet,  and  so  great  is  the 
stiffness  of  the  wires  that  the  passage  of  ordinary  trains 
causes  a depression  of  only  three  to  four  inches. 

A notable  example  of  the  suspension  bridge  in  Europe  is 
the  Conway  bridge,  crossing  an  estuary  that  divides  the 
Welsh  towns  of  Bangor  and  Chester.  This  has  a span  of 
327  feet.  The  Pont  de  Toledo,  at  Madrid,  is  a good  speci- 
men of  the  massive  style  of  bridge  architecture.  It  is  com- 
posed of  immense  semicircular  arches  and  piers  of  brick, 
surmounted  by  a roadway  ornamented  with  statues. 

A fine  specimen  of  the  railway  bridge  may  be  seen  in  the 
Cannon  street  bridge,  of  London.  For  an  example  of  the 
single  span  over  a narrow  gorge,  the  bridge  over  a cascade 
of  the  Rhone,  near  its  source  in  Switzerland,  may  be  men- 
tioned. The  Rhone  takes  its  rise  in  one  of  the  grandest 
glaciers  of  that  country,  at  an  elevation  of  about  5,400  feet 
above  the  sea.  From  this  unfailing  fount  the  Rhone  pours 
down  the  rocks  into  the  valley  below,  whence  it  swells  into 
a great  river.  A bridle  path  leading  over  the  mountain 
crosses  the  cascade  by  a solid  structure  founded  on  both 
sides  of  the  gorge  in  the  rocky  ledges. 


THE  WOELD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE, 


371 


CXXXVIL— LANDSCAPE  BEAUTY. 

It  is  easy  enough  to  understand  how  the  sight  of  a pic- 
ture or  statue  should  affect  us  nearly  in  the  same  way  as 
the  sight  of  the  original ; nor  is  it  much  more  difficult  to 
conceive  how  the  sight  of  a cottage  should  give  us  some- 
thing of  the  same  feeling  as  the  sight  of  a peasant’s  family; 
and  the  aspect  of  a town  raise  many  of  the  same  ideas  as 
the  appearance  of  a multitude  of  persons.  We  may  begin, 
therefore,  with  an  example  a little  more  complicated.. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  case  of  a common  English  landscape 
— green  meadows  with  grazing  and  ruminating  cattle — 
canals  or  navigable  rivers — well  fenced,  well  cultivated 
fields — neat,  clean,  scattered  cottages — humble,  antique 
churches,  with  church-yard  elms,  and  crossing  hedgerows 
— ail  seen  under  bright  skies,  and  in  good  weather. 

There  is  much  beauty,  as  every  one  will  acknowledge,  in 
such  a scene.  But  in  what  does  the  beauty  consist  ? Not, 
certainly,  in  the  mere  mixture  of  colors  and  forms  ; for  col- 
ors more  pleasing  and . lines  more  graceful  (according  to 
any  theory  of  grace  that  may  be  preferred)  might  be  spread 
upon  a board,  or  a painter’s  pallet,  without  engaging  the 
eye  to  a second  glance,  or  raising  the  least  emotion  in  fhe 
mind;  but  in  the  picture  of  human  happiness  that  is  pre- 
sented to  our  imaginations  and  affections ; in  the  visible 
and  unequivocal  signs  of  comfort,  and  cheerful  and  peaceful 
enjoyment — and  of  that  secure  and  successful  industry  that 
insures  its  continuance — and  of  the  piety  by  which  it  is 
exalted — and  of  the  simplicity  by  which  it  is  contrasted 
with  the  guilt  and  the  fever  of  a city  life ; in  the  images  of 
health  and  temperance  and  plenty  which  it  exhibits  to 


372 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


every  eye  ; and  in  the  glimpses  which  it  affords  to  warmer 
imaginations  of  those  primitive  or  fabulous  times  when 
man  was  uncorrupted  by  luxury  and  ambition,  and  of  those 
humble  retreats  in  which  we  still  delight  to  imagine  that 
love  and  philosophy  may  find  an  unpolluted  asylum. 

At  all  events,  however,  it  is  human  feeling  that  excites 
our  sympathy,  and  forms  the  true  object  of  our  emotions. 
It  is  man,  and  man  alone,  that  we  see  in  the  beauties  of 
the  earth  which  he  inhabits ; or,  if  a more  sensitive  and 
extended  sympathy  connect  us  with  the  lower  families  of 
animated  nature,  and  make  us  rejoice  with  the  lambs  that 
bleat  on  the  uplands,  or  the  cattle  that  repose  in  the  valley, 
or  even  with  the  living  plants  that  drink  the  bright  sun 
and  the  balmy  air  beside  them,  it  is  still  the  idea  of  enjoy- 
ment— of  feelings  that  animate  the  existence  of  sentient 
beings— that  calls  forth  all  our  emotions,  and  is  the  parent 
of  all  the  beauty  with  which  we  proceed  to  invest  the  inani- 
mate creation  around  us. 

Instead  of  this  quiet  and  tame  English  landscape  let  us 
now  take  a Welsh  or  a Highland  scene,  and  see  whether  its 
beauties  will  admit  of  being  explained  on  the  same  principle. 
Here  we  shall  have  lofty  mountains  and  rocky  and  lonely 
recesses — tufted  woods  hung  over  precipices — lakes  inter- 
sected with  castled  promontories — ample  solitudes  of  un- 
plowed and  untrodden  valleys — nameless  and  gigantic  ruins 
— and  mountain  echoes  repeating  the  scream  of  the  eagle 
and  the  roar  of  the  cataract. 

This,  too,  is  beautiful,  and  to  those  who  can  interpret  the 
language  it  speaks,  far  more  beautiful  than  the  prosperous 
scene  with  which  we  have  contrasted  it.  Yet,  lovely  as  it 
is,  it  is  to  the  recollection  of  man  and  the  suggestion  of 
human  feelings  that  its  beauty  also  is  owing.  The  mere 
forms  and  colors  that  compose  its  visible  appearance  are  no 
more  capable  of  exciting  any  emotion  in  the  mind  than  the 
forms  and  colors  of  a Turkey  carpet.  It  is  sympathy  with 
the  present  or  the  past,  or  the  imaginary  inhabitants  of 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


373 


such  a region,  that  alone  gives  it  either  interest  or  beauty; 
and  the  delight  of  those  who  behold  it  will  always  be  found 
to  be  in  exact  proportion  to  the  force  of  their  imaginations 
and  the  warmth  of  their  social  affections. 

The  leading  impressions  here  are  those  of  romantic  se- 
clusion and  primeval  simplicity  ; lovers  sequestered  in  these 
blissful  solitudes,  “from  towns  and  toils  remote/5  and  rustic 
poets  and  philosophers  communing  with  nature,  and  at  a dis- 
tance from  the  low  pursuits  and  selfish  malignity  of  ordi- 
nary mortals;  then  there  is  the  sublime  impression  of  the- 
Mighty  Power  which  piled  the  mighty  cliffs  upon  each  other, 
and  rent  the  mountains  asunder,  and  scattered  their  giant 
fragments  at  their  base,  and  all  the  images  connected  with 
the  monuments  of  ancient  magnificence  and  extinguished 
hostility — the  feuds,  and  the  combats,  and  the  triumphs  of 
its  wild  and  primitive  inhabitants,  contrasted  with  the  still- 
ness and  desolation  of  the  scenes  where  they  lie  interred ; 
and  the  romantic  ideas  attached  to  their  ancient  traditions, 
and  the  peculiarities  of  the  actual  life  of  their  descendants 
— their  wild  and  enthusiastic  poetry — their  gloomy  super- 
stitions— their  attachment  to  their  chiefs — the  dangers  and 
the  hardships  and  enjoyments  of  their  lonely  huntings 
and  fishings — their  pastoral  shielings  on  the  mountains  in 
summer — and  the  tales  and  the  sports  that  amuse  the  lit- 
tle groups  that  are  frozen  into  their  vast  and  trackless  val- 
leys in  the  winter. 

Add  to  all  this  the  traces  of  vast  and  obscure  antiquity 
that  are  impressed  on  the  language  and  the  habits  of  the 
people,  and  on  the  cliffs  and  caves,  the  gulfy  torrents  of 
the  land  ; and  the  solemn  and  touching  reflection,  perpetu- 
ally recurring,  of  the  weakness  and  insignificance  of  perish- 
able man,  whose  generations  thus  pass  away  into  oblivion, 
with  all  their  toil  and  ambition ; while  nature  holds  on  her 
unwavering  course,  and  pours  out  her  streams,  and  renews 
her  forests,  with  undecaying  activity,  regardless  of  the 
fate  of  her  proud  and  perishable  sovereign. 


374 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


CXXXYIIL— VEGETATION  IN  THE  TROPICS. 

Owing  to  the  equatorial  position,  the  variety  of  their 
surface,  and  their  humid  climate,  the  flora  of  the  northern 
countries  of  South  America  is  one  of  the  richest  on  earth; 
hut  we  can  only  cast  a rapid  glance  at  the  several  grada- 
tions of  vegetable  forms  from  the  sea-side  to  the  snows  of 
the  Andes. 

From  the  level  of  the  sea  to  the  height  of  3,300  feet  ex- 
tends the  region  of  palm.  Only  three  species  flourish  above 
these  limits ; one  being  the  wax-palm,  which  often  grows 
at  an  elevation  of  9,000  feet ; another  is  the  royal  palm, 
remarkable  for  its  great  size  and  beauty.  On  the  lower 
plains  is  found  the  moriche  palm,  called  by  the  missionaries 
the  bread  of  life.  Mingled  with  the  palms  are  the  car - 
dones  and  cacti  of  candelabra  forms,  sensitive  mimosae, 
pine-apple  or  bromelia  ; nor  must  we  forget  the  palo  de 
vaca  or  cow-tree,  which  yields  on  incision  a nutritious  fluid 
resembling  milk. 

In  the  forests  thus  richly  stored  with  useful  products, 
the  plants  which  chiefly  engross  the  stranger’s  attention 
and  admiration  are  the  arborescent  grasses  and  tree-ferns. 
Beginning  at  an  elevation  above  the  sea  of  600  feet  and 
extending  up  to  9,000,  are  the  febrifuge  plants,  sometimes 
forming  gieat  forests  by  themselves.  Here,  also,  grow 
wild  the  aromatic  vanilla,  the  plantain,  and  the  deadly 
strycJmos. 

Of  the  cultivated  plants,  the  first  rank  is  due  to  the 
cacao.  In  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  its  culture 
was  neglected,  and  it  was  not  until  about  1728,  that  the  ex- 
portation of  cocoa  was  very  large.  The  cocoa  and  the 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


375 


palm  are  now  very  extensively  cultivated,  and  in  some  of 
the  cities  are  so  common  as  to  be  planted  along  the  avenues 
for  shade-trees.  Another  of  the  native  productions  is  the 
century  plant,  or  American  aloe,  which  sometimes  grows 
to  an  enormous  size.  With  nature  so  bountiful,  the  wants 
of  the  population  so  few,  and  the  demands  of  commerce  so 
moderate,  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  is  carried  on  very  re- 
missly, and  the  cultivated  land  of  these  regions  bears  but  a 
small  proportion  to  the  whole. 

Some  of  the  more  southern  of  the  United  States  pro- 
duce a vegetation  that  is  tropical  in  character.  Much  of 
the  land  along  the  coast  is  low  and  swampy.  South  Caro- 
lina, though  not  as  far  south  as  some  other  States,  has, 
from  the  peculiar  formation  of  some  of  its  soil,  many  of  the 
characteristics  that  mark  tropical  regions.  Its  coast  is 
skirted  by  a number  of  small  islands  which  are  shut  off 
from  the  mainland  by  narrow  channels  which  afford  inland 
steamboat  communication  between  Charleston  and  Sav- 
annah. These  islands  are  low  and  flat,  and  produce  the 
black-seed  or  sea-island  cotton,  the  best  known  to  com- 
merce. Rice  is  also  here  produced,  and  tropical  fruits 
flourish.  Of  the  trees,  the  most  common  in  these  regions 
are  the  cypress  and  the  palmetto. 


CXXXIX.— THE  MOON. 

Often,  when  the  sun  has  set  beneath  the  opaque  terrestrial 
sphere,  and  the  deep  nocturnal  shadow  of  the  earth  is 
stretched  before  our  gaze  toward  the  stars,  a mild,  familiar 
face  shines  down  upon  the  darkness,  and  turns  its  gloom  to 


376 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


silvery,  dream-like  light.  That  face,  so  steady  in  its  watch- 
ing, and  so  punctual  in  its  visits  to  the  night-veiled  sky,  is 
the  radiant,  ever- welcome  moon. 

The  beautiful  luminary  that  thus  lights  up  the  midnight 
heavens  from  time  to  time,  has  high  and  especial  claims 
upon  the  consideration  of  man.  It  was  the  attached  and 
close  companion  of  this  earth,  even  before  the  solid  founda- 
tions of  the  sphere  were  laid ; it  saw  the  crude  chaos  moulded 
and  rolled  into  a habitable  form;  it  looked  on -when  life  and 
the  human  race  appeared  upon  the  scene;  its  benignant 
countenance  contemplated  the  wastes  of  the  primeval  desert, 
as  it  now  regards  the  fullness  of  the  populous  city,  and  the 
richness  of  the  verdant  plain. 

From  the  earliest  periods  of  human  history  the  changing 
aspects  of  the  moon  have  attracted  the  attention  of  man. 
The  oldest  nations  of  antiquity  measured  off  the  lapse  of 
time  by  their  recurrence.  The  Jews,  Chaldeans,  and  the 
Greeks,  all  noted  them  closely,  and  contrived  by  their  aid 
months  that  consisted  of  twenty-nine  and  a half  and  of 
thirty  days  alternately.  Months  at  first  were  simply  moons. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  both  Chaldeans  and  Egyptians  were 
assiduous  observers  of  the  moon,  but  their  assiduity,  never- 
theless, led  them  to  very  lame  deductions.  They  made  so 
little  -advance  toward  sound  knowledge,  that  they  soon 
passed  from  contemplating  the  object  of  their  interest  to 
bowing  down  before  it. 

The  astrologers  taught  that  the  fates  of  men  were  gov- 
erned by  the  movements  of  the  stars ; and  accordingly  they 
watched  these  movements,  not  that  they  might  discover  the 
causes  that  were  concealed  beneath  them,  but  rather  that 
they  might  build  up  fanciful  schemes  out  of  them.  Each 
particular  planet  in  the  heavens  was  conceived  to  have  its 
own  especial  character  for  good  or  evil,  and  to  bear  influ- 
ence on  human  affairs  according  to  its  position  with  regard 
to  its  compeers  of  the  sky.  Among  these  star-rulers  the 
moon  was  placed ; but  even  in  this  shadowy  company,  the 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


377 


benignant  aspect  of  her  lustrous  face  could  make  itself 
appear. 

In  this  nineteenth  century  of  advancing  knowledge,  we 
do  not,  however,  any  longer  idolize  the  moon.  The  lumin- 
ary of  the  night  does  not  now  present  itself,  either  as  a 
divinity,  or  as  a power  deputed  by  divinity,  to  rule  over  the 
moral  aspects  of  human  affairs.  It  is  not  now  either  an 
object  of  superstitious  regard  or  of  superstitious  dread.  The 
veil  of  mystery  has  dropped  from  its  shining  face,  and  we  see, 
where  the  veil  once  was,  features  that  are  radiant  with 
meaning,  and  beaming  with  clear  intelligence. 

The  moon  has  no  lustre  of  its  own ; it  is  a dark  and  in- 
visible body,  until  it  is  clothed  with  borrowed  splendor. 
Look  at  it  when  full,  shining  high  up  in  the  sky.  The 
effulgence  which  it  sheds  has  .been  primarily  poured  from 
the  great  source  of  light  and  heat  that  is  then  below  the 
earth.  Certain  of  the  solar  beams,  as  they  speed  on  their 
journey  toward  the  depths  of  the  infinite,  encounter  the 
impermeable  surface  of  the  moon,  and  are  thrown  back  from 
it  upon  the  shaded  portion  of  the  earth  that  is  turned  from 
the  sun.  Let  the  earth  come  directly  between  the  sun  and 
the  moon,  and  the  bright  face  is  blotted  out  from  the  sky. 
The  moon,  like  any  other  dark  body,  becomes  lustrous  when 
placed  in  strong  sunshine,  but  disappears  when  the  light  is 
cut  off.  Moonshine  is  simply  diluted  and  softened  sun- 
shine. The  moon  receives  about  the  same  intensity  of  sun- 
light as  the  earth ; but  this  becomes  fainter  and  fainter  with 
distance,  as  it  is  again  scattered  off  from  the  reflecting  sur- 
face. Hence,  when  it  reaches  the  earth,  it  is  but  the  silvery 
gleam  we  perceive. 

According  to  the  experiments  of  Wollaston,  800,000  full 
moons  spread  out  in  the  sky  would  scarcely  produce  the 
illumination  of  diffused  daylight.  Yet  that  pgle  gleam, 
almost  a positive  shadow  when  contrasted  with  sunshine,  is 
a wonderful  glory  when  compared  with  absolute  darkness. 
Twenty-seven  thousand  stars,  as  bright  as  the  brightest  we 


378 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


know,  would  not  compensate  for  the  loss  of  the  full  moon 
if  it  were  suddenly  removed  from  the  nocturnal  heavens. 
How  strangely  different  the  same  things  seem  when  con- 
templated from  opposite  points  of  view ! 

At  the  fall  moon,  the  sun  and  earth  are  both  on  one  side 
of  that  body,  and  therefore-  the  illumined  and  the  visible 
hemispheres  meet  in  one.  At  the  new  moon  the  sun  and 
earth  are  on  opposite  sides  of  the  moon,  and  the  illumined 
and  visible  hemispheres  are  therefore  quite  opposite.  At  all 
other  times,  more  or  less  of  the  illumined  hemisphere  enters 
into  the  composition  of  the  visible  one,  accordingly  as  the 
moon  is  gibbous,  semicircular,  or  crescentic.  All  the 
changing  appearances  of  the  moon’s  phases  may  be  imi- 
tated if  a ball  be  painted  black  and  a hemispherical  case  of 
stiff  white  paper  be  then  fitted  to  one  half  of  it,  so  that  it 
can  be  made  to  sweep  progressively  over  new  portions  of  the 
ball  as  it  is  placed  in  front  of  the  eye. 

When  we  look  at  the  moon  as  it  floats  through  the  heav- 
ens, we  at  once  perceive  that  it  is  separated  from  us  by  some 
enormous  chasm.  We  see,  at  a glance,  that  its  silver  beams 
come  down  to  us  through  a transparent  void  which  we  can 
by  no  means  hope  to  bridge  over.  If  we  ascend  to  the  top 
of  the  highest  mountain  the  human  foot  can  climb,  we  do 
not  seem  to  have  approached  at  all  nearer  to  its  shining 
sphere.  At  first,  it  appears  altogether  impossible  that  man 
should  ever  succeed  in  carrying  his  measuring-chain  across 
the  abyss  that  thus  lies  before  him,  when  he  looks  toward 
the  moon ; yet  this  surprising  feat  science  has  accomplished. 
It  reveals  to  us  that  the  moon  is  240,000  miles  distant  from 
the  earth. 

If  we  fix  our  attention  upon  the  familiar  face  of  our 
moon,  as  it  floats  through  the  sky,  we  observe  that  it  has 
distinctive  features.  This  is  especially  plain  if  a small  tele- 
scope is  used.  Its  surface  is  everywhere  covered  with  mot- 
tlings  of  shadow,  any  one  of  which  may  be  so  distinguished 
from  the  rest,  that  it  can  be  recognized  again  at  a future  time. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


379 


If  we  watch  these  lunar  spots  from  night  to  night,  we  are 
very  soon  struck  with  the  fact  that  they  are  immovable  in 
their  relative  positions.  Certain  irregular  patches  of  shadow 
are  always  seen  scattered  in  precisely  the  same  way  around 
the  central  portions  of  the  disc.  A small,  separate,  oval 
spot  constantly  appears  close  to  the  upper  hand  of  the  right 
hand  margin.  Near  to  the  bottom,  one  speck  of  superior 
brilliancy  invariably  presents  itself  as  the  center  of  a cluster 
of  radiating  streaks.  From  this,  it  at  once  appears,  that 
one  .side  only  of  the  moon  is  turned  toward  the  earth ; 
what  may  be  on  the  other  side  we  shall  never  know. 

By  observing  the  moon’s  face  closely,  night  after  night, 
we  can  make  another  interesting  discovery  concerning  its 
condition.  We  find  that  the  patches  of  shadow  with  which 
it  is  diversified,  not  only  retain  the  same  positions  in  the 
visible  hemisphere,  but  that  they  are  always  to  be  seen,  pro- 
vided our  own  atmosphere  is  free  from  obscuring  mists. 
The  moon  never  has  any  clouds  of  its  own — no  kind  of  veil 
is  ever  drawn  around  it.  Whenever  it  can  be  seen  at  all,  it 
presents  itself  in  the  same  peculiar  distinctness  and  clear- 
ness of  outline.  Nothing  ever  conceals  its  surface,  either 
from  the  solar  glare  or  the  terrestrial  scrutiny.  But  this 
entire  absence  of  clouds  around  the  moon  immediately  sug- 
gests a still  more  important  fact.  Where  there  are  no 
clouds  it  is  extremely  probable  there  is  no  atmosphere. 

But  what  must  be  the  result  of  the  complete  absence  of 
air  from  any  planet’s  surface  ? Suppose,  for  instance,  that 
the  air  we  breathe  were  to  be  suddenly  destroyed,  how  many 
startling  consequences  would  follow!  No  sound  could  be 
produced,  for  the  vibrations  of  sound  are  propagated  by  the 
serial  particles — a reign  of  unbroken  quiet  would  therefore 
be  established;  no  breeze  would  blow,  no  refreshing  shower 
would  fail;  the  blue  sky  would  disappear,  and  its  place 
would  be  taken  by  a gloomy  canopy  of  pitchy  blackness, 
save  only  where  the  burning  sun  blazed  out  in  unmitigated 
fierceness,  as  if  it  were  a hole  of  fire.  As  the  sun,  after  its 


380 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


diurnal  course,  descended  beneath  the  horizon,  instantane- 
ous darkness  would  take  the  place  of  the  fiery  blaze.  No 
softening  twilight  would  stand  between  day  and  night — no 
intermediate  tints  or  grateful  colors  would  be  formed;  every 
object  would  be  intensely  shining,  or  as  black  as  jet.  Life, 
too,  would  be  blotted  out  from  the  scene.  Where  there  was 
no  air,  there  could  be  neither  vegetable  organization  nor 
animal  activity.  The  atmosphere  is  at  once  the  food  and  the 
breath  of  vitality.  Out  of  it  plants  take  the  materials  of 
their  cells  and  fibre ; from  it  animals  derive  their  elevated 
temperature,  their  motive  powers,  and  their  nervous  ener- 
gies. As  the  moon  is  without  an  atmosphere,  we  may 
safely  infer  that  its  surface  is  as  dead  as  it  is  still.  No 
wonder,  therefore,  that  it  wears  so  calm  and  unimpassioned 
an  aspect  as  it  looks  toward  our  varied,  ever-changing, 
restless  world. 

We  see,  when  we  look  at  the  full  moon  through  a good 
telescope,  on  a clear  night,  that  some  portions  of  its  disc  are 
darker  than  the  rest ; and  that,  in  various  other  parts,  streaks 
and  specks  of  superior  brightness  are  scattered  about.  Now, 
before  we  attempt  to  determine  what  these  appearances 
indicate,  we  shall  do  well  to  watch  their  behavior  during 
the  growth  of  the  moon.  Let  us  commence  our  observa- 
tion, for  instance,  soon  after  the  crescent  of  the  'new  moon 
has  displayed  itself  in  the  sky.  Night  after  night,  we  shall 
see  the  advancing  sunlight  creeping  on  over  the  lunar 
sphere,  at  the  rate  of  about  nine  or  ten  miles  an  hour,  when 
it  crosses  the  regions  near  the  center  of  the  disc.  If  we  are 
using  a good  telescope  we  shall  at  once  observe  that  the  film 
of  advancing  sunlight  is  not  bounded  in  front  by  an  even 
line  like  the  border  of  the  full  moon;  its  outline  is  jagged, 
irregular,  and  broken. 

The  bright,  starlike  points  that  spring  up  in  advance  of 
the  general  field  of  illumination,  are  the  tops  of  high  moun- 
tains that  catch  the  solar  rays  before  the  subjacent  valleys 
and  plains.  The  moon  is  a solid  sphere,  with  its  surface 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


381 


broken  up  by  irregular  elevations  and  depressions,  and  the 
brighter  parts  of  the  lunar  disc  are  the  crests  and  peaks  of 
the  elevations,  reflecting  a stronger  light  than  the  more 
depressed  places.  If  any  of  the  points  that  have  appeared 
first  as  islands  of  light  in  advance  of  the  general  field  of 
sunlight,  be  watched  until  they  have  been  for  some  time 
immersed  in  this  general  field,  it  will  be  found  that  they 
still  retain  their  superior  brilliancy,  and  can  still  be  distin- 
guished in  strong  relief  upon  the  duller  surface  around. 

But  if  these  bright  points  are  tops  of  mountainous  pro- 
jections, we  ought  to  be  able  to  see  the  shadows  cast  behind 
the  peaks  as  the  field  of  illumination  advances  beyond  them ; 
and  we  ought  also  to  observe  that  these  shadows  progress- 
ively shorten  as  the  sun  rises  higher  and  higher  over  the 
region  where  they  fall.  Any  one  standing  on  the  cone  of 
Mount  Etna  may  see  its  shadow  spread  out  to  the  westward 
beneath  them,  directly  after  sunrise,  and  growing  shorter 
and  shorter  as  the  sun  ascends  the  sky.  Exactly  in  this 
way,  then,  we  ought  to  see  the  shadows  of  the  lunar  moun- 
tains shorten  or  lengthen  in  the  rising  or  declining  sun- 
light; and  the  phenomenon  must  be  far  more  striking  than 
it  is  on  the  earth,  on  account  of  the  contrast  of  the  deep 
black  shadow,  unsoftened  by  any  atmospheric  refraction, 
with  the  brilliant  sunshine  around.  And  so,  in  reality,  we 
find  that  we  do. 

If  the  shadows  that  are  cast,  as  the  sunshine  creeps 
onward  over  the  moon’s  sphere,  be  watched,  it  will  become 
apparent  that  the  lunar  surface  is  not  equally  broken  up 
everywhere.  There  are  some  broad  districts  on  which 
scarcely  any  shadows  occur,  because  none,  saving  very 
trifling  projections,  there  rise  from  the  general  level.  It  is 
these  comparatively  flat  regions  that  present  themselves  on 
the  full  moon  as  shadowy  patches,  and  that  were  deemed 
seas  by  the  old  astronomers.  They  certainly  have  no  water 
in  them;  for  powerful  telescopes  show  that,  although  they 
are  comparatively  level,  they  are,  nevertheless,  made  up  of 


382 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


minor  irregularities.  They  are  nowhere  so  smooth  as  the 
surface  of  a liquid  would  of  necessity  he.  They  probably 
are  the  basins  that  would  be  filled  with  water,  if  there  were 
any  such  material  present  on  the  moon,  for  most  of  them 
seem  to  be  depressed  a little  into  the  moon’s  substance. 

The  mountains  of  the  moon  are  not  mountains  in  the 
common  acceptation  of  the  term;  they  are  circular  pits, 
hollowed  out  into  the  lunar  substance,  and  surrounded  by 
a ring-shaped  elevated  border,  more  or  less  abrupt  and 
broken.  The  floor  of  the  pit  is  in  every  case  depressed  far 
below  the  general  surface  of  the  moon;  the  ring-shaped 
ridges  are,  therefore,  much  more  precipitous  on  the  inner 
than  on  the  outer  side.  Very  frequently,  one  or  more  iso- 
lated peaks  arise  from  the  centers  of  these  depressed  floors. 
The  lunar  surface  is  completely  studded  with  circular  and 
rimmed  depressions  of  this  nature. 

Enough  has  now  been  said  to  show  that  the  physical 
aspect  of  the  moon  is  altogether  different  from  that  of  the 
earth,  whose  attendant  it  is.  We  have  found,  it  will  be 
remembered,  that  the  large  sphere  that  rolls  around  the 
earth  at  a distance  of  nearly  a quarter  of  a million  of  miles, 
is  composed  of  solid  substance,  and  that  it  has  its  surface 
diversified  by  the  presence  of  mountains,  and  valleys,  and 
plains.  We  have  also  seen  that  there  is  no  trace  of  water 
anywhere,  or  of  water-worn  deposits ; and  that  the  south- 
western part  of  the  visible  portion  is  made  up  of  rugged 
mountains  crowding  upon  mountains,  while  the  north- 
eastern part  is  chiefly  composed  of  wide-spread  level  plains. 
Besides  this,  we  have  ascertained  that  the  mountains  are 
chiefly  ring-shaped  ridges  surrounding  deep,  circular  de- 
pressions, some  few  only  that  skirt  the  northern  plains 
being  arranged  into  extended  chains,  resembling  those  that 
are  common  on  the  earth,  and  three  bearing  a remote  like- 
ness to  volcanic  cones;  and  that  they  are  much  larger, 
when  compared  with  the  moon’s  sphere,  than  the  earth’s 
mountains  are  when  compared  with  the  earth’s  sphere. 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


383 


CXL.— THE  YALE  OP  AY 00’ A. 

The  yale  is  well  planted.  The  railway  passes  through 
Avondale.  The  mansions  of  Kingstown  are  passed  on  the 
right,  and  then  appear  the  turrets  of  Castle  Howard,  the 
seat  of  Mr.  Howard  Brooke,  standing  on  an  eminence  on 
the  left  of  the  river  Ayonmore,  just  above  its  junction  with 
the  Avonbeg.  The  river  is  crossed  by  a quaintly  picturesque 
bridge,  known  as  the  Lion  Bridge.  The  entrance  to  the 
demesne  is  by  a castellated  gate,  surmounted  by  a lion  pas- 
sant, the  crest  of  the  Howard  family.  The  structure,  which 
is  plain  and  chaste,  gains  much  in  effect  from  its  position 
on  an  elevation  of  two  hundred  feet  above  the  river.  The 
hills  around  are  richly  planted.  The  view  from  the  es- 
planade embraces  the  surrounding  hills  and  the  vale  of 
Avoca. 

The  “ Meeting  of  the  Waters”  is  soon  approached, 
where  the  Avonbeg  unites  with  the  Avonmore,  and  flows 
down  the  vale  under  the  name  of  the  Avoca,  amid  pro- 
jecting rocks,  overhanging  trees,  and  every  adjunct  to  pic- 
turesque effect.  The  tourist  is  apt  to  expect  too  much 
from  such  a place,  forgetting  that  when  the  national  poet 
sung — 

Thera  is  not  in  this  wide  world  a valley  so  sweet 
As  the  vale  in  whose  bosom  the  bright  waters  meet. 

Oh  ! the  last  rays  of  feeling  and  life  must  depart 
Ere  the  bloom  of  that  valley  shall  fade  from  my  heart. 

Yet  it  was  not  that  nature  had  shed  o’er  the  scene 
Her  purest  of  crystal  and  brightest  of  green ; 

’Twas  not  her  soft  magic  of  streamlet  or  hill. 

Oh  ! no — it  was  something  more  exquisite  still. 


384 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


’Twas  that  friends,  the  beloved  of  my  bosom,  were  near. 
Who  made  each  dear  scene  of  enchantment  more  dear ; 
And  who  felt  how  the  best  charms  of  nature  improve, 
When  we  see  them  reflected  from  looks  that  we  love. 


Sweet  vale  of  Avoca  ! how  calm  could  I rest 
In  thy  bosom  of  shade  with  friends  I love  best, 

Where  the  storms  that  we  feel  in  this  cold  world  should  cease 
And  our  hearts,  like  thy  waters,  be  mingled  in  peace. 


lie  was  drawing  as  much  upon  imagination  in  all  likelihood 
as  upon  nature ; and  when  we  remember  the  lavishness  of 
Moore’s  ideas,  we  must  only  be  astonished  to  find  nature 
so  like  poetry.  The  valley  is  indeed  sweet,  and  cold  must 
be  the  heart,  and  dull  the  head,  which  could  pass  through 
it  unmoved ; but  if  the  tourist  does  not  wish  to  meet  with 
a disappointment,  he  must  not  expect  too  much. 

It  is  difficult  to  convey  a description  of  the  Vale  of  Avoca 
in  terms  to  come  up  to  the  expectation  of  the  reader,  or 
even  to  the  reality  of  nature.  A notice  of  it,  by  the  author 
already  quoted,  may  be  of  some  assistance  to  the  expectant 
tourist.  “ Beautifully  picturesque  groups  of  oaks  and 
beeches,  everywhere  hung  with  ivy,  constitute  one  of  the 
main  beauties  of  the  Yale  of  Avoca.  This,  to  some  extent, 
is  the  character  of  all  the  valleys  of  Wicklow,  through 
which  rivers  flow,  while  the  summits  of  the  mountains  and 
the  unwatered  vales  remain  completely  bare.  The  Irish 
oak  differs  materially  from  the  English  oak ; yet  this  dif- 
ference, so  striking  that  you  notice  it  at  the  first  glance,  is 
difficult  to  describe.  The  branches  are  less  knotted  and 
spreading.  There  £eems  to  me  to  be  more  straight  lines 
and  fewer  crooked  ones ; more  length  and  less  breadth  in 
the  Irish  oak.” 

Another  stranger.  Prince  Puckler  Muskan,  writes  in 
glowing  terms  of  the  spot.  “ Just  before  sunset,”  he  says, 
“ I reached  the  exquisitely  beautiful  Avonsdale.  In  this 
paradise  every  possible  charm  is  united.  A wood  which 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


385 


appears  of  measureless  extent ; two  noble  rivers ; rocks  of 
every  variety  of  picturesque  form  ; the  greenest  meadows ; 
the  most  varied  and  luxuriant  shrubberies  and  thickets. 
In  short,  scenery  changing  at  every  step,  yet  never  dimin- 
ishing in  beauty.”  An  English  writer  gives  a very  different 
account  of  the  place.  “As  to  the  ‘ Meeting  of  the  Waters/” 
he  writes,  “ as  the  Irish  are  pleased  to  call  the  confluence 
of  two  little  streams,  pompously  or  poetically  as  you  may 
please  to  decide,  I think  more  has  been  made  of  it  than 
either  the  waters  or  their  meeting  deserve.  There  are,  in 
fact,  two  places  in  the  valley  where  two  streams  meet,  one 
toward  the  lower  end  where  the  scenery  is  rich  and  beauti- 
ful, the  other,  which  I was  assured  to  be  the  ‘riglar’  meet- 
ing, was  higher  up  the  vale ; and  I confess,  on  arriving  at 
it,  I was  disappointed,  and  could  not  hesitate  in  giving  pre- 
ference to  the  place  of  the  confluence  of  the  two  streams 
we  had  passed  lower  down.”  * 


CXLI. — APPROACHING  THE  ALPS. 

The  road  up  St.  Gothard  is  a wonderful  piece  of  engi- 
neering, mounting  apparently  inaccessible  heights  by  a series 
of  terraces  or  tourniquets , so  that  carriages  are  very  easily 
driven  up.  The  Eeuss  flows  down,  and  the  sound  of  the 
water  is  heard  the  whole  distance,  though  the  river  is 
sometimes  so  deep  below  the  road  that  one  can  scarcely  see 
it.  Then  the  rocky  walls  rise  steep  and  bare  on  either  side, 
seeming  to  rest  on  the  deep  foundations  of  jthe  earth,  and 
to  support  the  sky  on  their  summits  x 
17 


386 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


I walked  a considerable  part  of  the  way*  to  enjoy  the 
wonderful  scene  more  completely.  It  was  a good  day’s 
journey  to  the  Hospitenthal*  or  valley  of  the  hospice*  on 
the  height  of  the  pass.  This  valley  is  a beautiful  spot* 
green  and  lovely  in  itself*  though  at  so  immense  a height, 
and  surrounded  by  snow-capped  pinnacles.  We  spent  the 
night  here. 

The  next  morning  we  started  for  the  Turca  Pass*  and 
the  Grimsel ; but  no  more  carriage  roads.  I was  strongly 
tempted  to  walk  the  whole  distance,  from  the  Hospitenthal 
to  Meyringen ; but  reflected  that  I was  twenty  years  older 
than  I was  twenty  years  ago,  and  much  heavier  than  when 
I was  much  lighter, — so  I finally  decided  to  compromise 
the  matter  by  taking  one  horse  for  myself  and  our  courier. 
The  rest  of  the  party  had  each  a horse,  and  two  men  were 
employed  to  take  Edie  the  whole  distance,  some  fifty  miles, 
in  a chair. 

Now,  if  I were  animated  by  the  proper  traveler’s  spirit 
I should  rise  into  the  sublime,  in  my  description  of  the 
appalling  dangers  from  which  we  miraculously  escaped.  I 
should  make  each  particular  hair  stand  on  end  by  telling 
you  what  dizzy  heights  we  scaled  by  paths  scarce  a foot  in 
width,  along  the  edges  of  perpendicular  precipices,  ten 
thousand  feet  or  more  in  depth.  I should  freeze  your  blood 
with  horror,  by  depicting  the  mountainous  masses  of  rock 
just  tottering  to  tTieir  fall,  by  which  we  had  to  pass.  I 
should  make  you  shudder  to  think  of  the  mighty  glaciers 
we  crossed,  and  the  yawning  crevasses  a thousand  feet  deep, 
over  which  we  were  obliged  to  jump.  I should  thrill  you 
with  the  thunder  of  the  descending  avalanche  that  came 
within  a hair’s  breadth  of  burying  us  five  hundred  feet 
deep  in  snow.  I should — . But  enough  of  these  awful  ad- 
ventures, that  trip  so  freely  from  the  pens  of  summer  tourists. 

In  plain  prose  and  rigid  truth,  the  whole  journey  was 
exciting  in  the  highest  degree.  The  path  does  wind  along 
the  edges  of  tremendous  precipices*  and  above  it  the  rocky 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


387 


mountain  sides  do  rise  sheer  and  awful  up  to  heaven.  Some- 
times the  path  descends  so  steeply  that  it  seems  impossible 
to  go  down  without  breaking  your  neck ; again  it  seems 
to  go  straight  up  into  the  air;  and  the  wonder  is,  how  any 
four-footed  beast  can  possibly  climb  it,  without  rolling  over 
backwards.  If  you  look  up,  you  half  believe  the  moun- 
tain is  coming  down  upon  you ; if  you  look  down,  you  are 
struck  by  the  exceeding  probability  that  you  may  reach 
the  bottom  a great  deal  sooner  than  you  intend.  With  all 
this,  you  have  an  abiding  confidence  in  your  sure-footed 
and  faithful  beast,  and  you  know  that  he  will  carry  you 
safely  through. 

I walked  about  half  the  whole  distance,  but  it  so  hap- 
pened that  I rode  over  the  worst  parts  of  the  way.  I felt 
astonished,  delighted,  and  constantly  amazed  by  the  grand- 
eur of  the  gigantic  scenery ; and  only  once  did  I feel  in 
the  least  startled  with  any  sense  of  danger.  In  one  place, 
in  the  steep  side  of  an  enormous  rock,  a way  is  scooped  out, 
just  deep  enough  fora  horse  to  pass,  and  high  enough  for 
the  rider  if  he  stoops.  The  side  of  the  road  toward  the 
abyss  is  guarded  by  a wooden  railing.  Hear  this  spot  a 
beggar  girl  had  placed  herself ; and  as  my  horse  entered 
this  rather  critical  passage,  she  came  up  and  spoke  in  the 
peculiar  inarticulate  whine  they  all  employ,  standing  be- 
tween the  horse  and  the  rocky  side.  The  horse  shied  an 
instant,  pressed  my  leg  against  the  slender  railing,  and  I 
looked  over  into  what  really  seemed  a fathomless  abyss. 
There  was  no  actual  danger,  for  the  horse  knew  his  footing 
exactly;  but  the  appearance  of  danger  set  my  blood  in 
motion  for  a moment,  and  made  my  pulse  beat  at  a pretty 
rapid  rate. 


888 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


CXLII.— ENGLISH  SCENERY. 

Haunts  of  my  youth  ! 

Beenes  of  fond  day-dreams,  I behold  ye  yet ! 

Where  ’twas  so  pleasant  by  thy  northern  slopes. 

To  climb  the  winding  sheep-path,  aided  oft 
By  scattered  thorns,  whose  spiry  branches  bore 
Small  woolly  tufts,  spoils  of  the  vagrant  lamb 
There  seeking  shelter  from  the  noonday  sun: 

And  pleasant,  seated  on  the  short,  soft  turf, 

To  look  beneath  upon  the  hollow  way, 

While  heavily  upward  moved  the  laboring  wain. 
And,  stalking  slowly  by,  the  sturdy  hind, 

To  ease  his  panting  team,  stopp’d  with  a stone 
The  grating  wheel. 

Advancing  higher  still, 

The  prospect  widens,  and  the  village  church 
But  little  o’er  the  lowly  roofs  around 
Rears  its  gray  belfry  and  its  simple  vane ; 

Those  lowly  roofs  of  thatch  are  half  conceal’d 
By  the  rude  arms  of  trees,  lovely  in  spring, 

When  on  each  bough  the  rosy-tinctured  bloom 
Sits  thick,  and  promises  autumnal  plenty. 

For  even  those  orchards  round  the  Norman  farms. 
Which,  as  their  owners  mark  the  promised  fruit. 
Console  them,  for  the  vineyards  of  the  south 
Surpass  not  these. 

Where  woods  of  ash,  and  beech, 
And  partial  copsCs,  fringe  the  green  hill  foot, 

The  upland  shepherd  rears  his  modest  home  ; 

There  wanders  by  a little  nameless  stream 

That  from  the  hill  wells  forth,  bright  now  and  clear. 

Or,  after  rain,  with  chalky  mixture  gray, 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


389 


But  still  refreshing  in  its  shallow  course 
The  cottage  garden  ; most  for  use  design’d. 

Yet  not  of  beauty  destitute.  The  vine 
Mantles  the  little  casement ; yet  the  brier 
Drops  fragrant  dew  among  the  July  flowers  ; 

And  pansies  ray’d,  and  freak’d  and  mottled  pinks 
Grow  among  balm,  and  rosemary  and  rue  ; 

There  honeysuckles  flaunt,  and  roses  blow 
Almost  uncultured : some  with  dark  green  leaves 
Contrast  their  flowers  of  pure  unsullied  white' 
Others  like  velvet  robes  of  regal  state 
Of  richest  crimson,  while,  in  thorny  moss 
Enshrined  and  cradled,  the  most  lovely  wear 
The  hues  of  youthful  beauty’s  glowing  cheek. — 
With  fond  regret  I recollect  e’en  now. 

In  spring  and  summer,  what  delight  I felt 
Among  these  cottage  gardens,  and  how  much 
Such  artless  nosegays,  knotted  with  a rush 
By  village  housewife  or  her  ruddy  maid, 

Were  welcome  to  me  ; soon  and  simply  pleased. 
An  early  worshipper  at  Nature’s  shrine, 

I loved  her  rudest  scenes. 


CXLIII. — A GRAIN  ELEVATOR. 

An  elevator  is  as  ugly  a monster  as  has  been  yet  pro- 
duced. In  uncoutliness  of  form  it  outdoes  those  obsolete 
old  brutes  who  used  to  roam  about  the  semi-aqueous  world, 
and  live  a most  uncomfortable  life  with  their  great  hunger- 
ing stomachs  and  huge  unsatisfied  maws.  The  elevator 
itself  consists  of  a big  movable  trunk — movable  as  is  that  of 
an  elephant,  but  not  pliable,  and  less  graceful  even  than 


390 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


an  elephant’s.  This  is  attached  to  a huge  granary  or  barn; 
but  in  order  to  give  altitude  within  the  barn  for  the  neces- 
sary moving  up  and  down  of  this  trunk — seeing  that  it 
cannot  be  curled  gracefully  to  its  purpose  as  the  elephant’s 
is  curled — there  is  an  awkward  box  erected  on  the  roof  of 
the  barn,  giving  some  twenty  feet  of  additional  height/ up 
into  which  the  elevator  can  be  thrust. 

It  will  be  understood,  then,  that  this  big  movable  trunk, 
the  head  of  which,  when  it  is  at  rest,  is  thrust  up  into  the 
box  on  the  roof,  is  made  to  slant  down  in  an  oblique  direc- 
tion from  the  building  to  the  river ; for  the  elevator  is  an 
amphibious  institution,  and  flourishes  only  on  the  banks  of 
navigable  waters.  When  its  head  is  ensconced  within  its 
box,  and  the  beast  of  prey  is  thus  nearly  hidden  within  the 
building,  the  unsuspicious  vessel  is  brought  within  reach  of 
the  creature’s  trunk,  and  down  it  comes,  like  a musquito’s 
proboscis,  right  through  the  deck,  in  at  the  open  aperture 
of  the  hold,  and  so  into  the  very  vitals  and  bowels  of  the 
ship. 

When  there,  it  goes  to  work  upon  its  food  with  a greed 
and  avidity  that  is  disgusting  to  a beholder  of  any  taste  or 
imagination.  And  now  I must  explain  the  anatomical 
arrangement  by  which  the  elevator  still  devours  and  con- 
tinues to  devour,  till  the  corn  within  its  reach  has  all  been 
swallowed,  masticated  and  digested.  Its  long  trunk,  as 
seen  slanting  down  from  out  of  the  building  across  the 
wharf,  and  into  the  ship,  is  a mere  wooden  pipe ; but  this 
pipe  is  divided  within.  It  has  two  departments ; and  as  the 
grain-bearing  troughs  pass  up  the  one  on  a pliable  band, 
they  pass  empty  down  the  other. 

The  system,  therefore,  is  that  of  an  ordinary  dredging 
machine ; only  that  corn  and  not  mud  is  taken  away,  and 
that  the  buckets  or  troughs  are  hidden  from  sight.  Below, 
within  the  stomach  of  the  poor  bark,  three  or  four  laborers 
are  at  work,  helping  to  feed  the  elevator.  They  shovel  the 
corn  up  towards  its  maw,  so  that  at  every  swallow  he  should 


THE  WORLD  IN  TIIE  STEREOSCOPE. 


391 


take  in  all  that  he  can  hold.  Thus  the  troughs,  as  they 
ascend,  are  kept  full,  and  when  they  reach  the  upper  build- 
ing they  empty  themselves  into  a shoot,  over  which  a porter 
stands  guard,  moderating  the  shoot  by  a door,  which  the 
weight  of  his  finger  can  open  and  close.  Through  this 
doorway  the  corn  runs  into  a measure,  and  is  weighed.  By 
measures  of  forty  bushels  each,  the  tale  is  kept.  There 
stands  the  apparatus,  with  the  figures  plainly  marked,  over 
against  the  porter’s  eye;  and  as  the  sum  mounts  nearly  up 
to  forty  bushels,  he  closes  the  door  till  the  grains  run  thinly 
through,  hardly  a handful  at  a time,  so  that  the  balance  is 
exactly  struck.  Then  the  teller,  standing  by,  marks  down 
his  figure,  and  the  record  is  made.  The  exact  porter 
touches  the  string  of  another  door,  and  the  forty  bushels  of 
corn  run  out  at  the  bottom  of  the  measure,  disappear  down 
another  shoot,  slanting  also  toward  the  water,  and  deposit 
themselves  in  the  canal  boat. 

The  transit  of  the  bushels  of  corn  from  the  larger  vessel 
to  the  smaller  will  have  taken  less  than  a minute,  and  the 
cost  of  that  transit  will  have  been  a farthing.  But  I have 
spoken  of  rivers  of  wheat,  and  I must  explain  what  are 
those  rivers.  In  the  working  of  the  elevator,  which  I have 
just  attempted  to  describe,  the  two  vessels  were  supposed  to 
be  lying  at  the  same  wharf,  on  the  same  side  of  the  build- 
ing, in  the  same  water,  the  smaller  vessel  inside  the  larger 
one.  VvTien  this  is  the  case  the  corn  runs  direct  from  the 
weighing  measure  into  the  shoot  that  communicates  with 
the  canal  boat. 

But  there  is  not  room  or  time  for  confining  the  work  to 
one  side  of  the  building.  There  is  water  on  both  sides,  and 
the  corn  or  wheat  is  elevated  on  the  one  side,  and  re-shipped 
on  the  other.  To  effect  this  the  corn  is  carried  across  the 
breadth  of  the  building ; but,  nevertheless,  it  is  never 
handled  or  moved  in  its  direction  on  trucks  or  carriages 
requiring  the  use  of  men’s  muscle  for  its  motion.  Across 
the  floor  of  the  building  are  two  gutters,  or  channels,  and 


392 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEBEOSCOPE. 


through  these,  small  troughs  on  a pliable  band  circulate 
very  quickly.  Those  which  run  one  way,  in  one  channel,  are 
laden ; those  which  return  by  the  other  channel  are  empty. 
The  corn  pours  itself  into  these,  and  they  again  pour  it  into 
the  shoot  which  commands  the  other  water.  And  thus 
rivers  of  corn  are  running  through  these  buildings  night 
and  day.  The  secret  of  all  the  motion  and  arrangement 
consists,  of  course,  in  the  elevations.  The  corn  is  lifted  up ; 
and  when  lifted  up  can  move  itself,  and  arrange  itself,  and 
weigh  itself,  and  load  itself. 


CXLIV.— SKETCHES  OF  CAVERNS. 

Among  the  forms  under  which  caverns  present  them- 
selves, Humboldt  gives  only  three  principal  kinds.  The 
first  appear  in  the  form  of  cracks  or  fissures,  like  empty 
veins  of  ore,  of  greater  or  less  extent,  but  narrow  and  con- 
siderably prolonged,  often  penetrating  far  into  the  moun- 
tain, and  only  reaching  the  day  at  one  end.  Eldon  Hole, 
in  the  Peak  of  Derbyshire,  England,  is  an  example  of  this 
class.  This  is  a deep,  yawning  chasm,  in  the  limestone, 
but  no  longer  considered  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  region, 
as  its  presumed  unfathomable  depths  have  been  measured. 

In  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  Earl  of  Leicester 
is  said  to  have  hired  a man  to  go  down  into  it  to  ascertain 
its  extent  and  form.  The  account  of  the  adventure  states 
that  he  was  let  down  about  two  hundred  ells,  and  after  he 
had  remained  at  the  length  of  the  rope  a while,  he  was 
drawn  up  again,  with  great  expectation  of  some  discov- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


393 


eries  ; but  he  came  up  senseless,  and  died  within  eight  days 
in  a frenzied  condition.  Eldon  Hole  is  a fissure  about  sixty 
feet  long,  twenty  wide,  and  two  hundred  deep. 

Many  years  ago  Mr.  Lloyd  was  let  down  with  a rope  by 
eight  men,  and  found  the  light  sufficiently  strong  at  the 
bottom  to  allow  him  to  read  print.  He  discovered  a crack 
in  the  rock  at  the  bottom,  through  which  a current  of  air 
proceeded ; but  as  the  opening  was  nearly  filled  up  with 
huge  stones,  he  could  not  examine  it. 

A former  owner  of  the  pasture  in  which  the  chasm  is 
situated,  having  lost  cattle  by  falling  into  it,  made  the  at- 
tempt to  fill  it  up,  and  threw  down  many  loads  of  stone 
without  any  visible  effect,  some  of  which  were  probably 
those  which  choked  the  aperture  reached  by  Mr.  Lloyd. 
The  whole  extent  and  actual  depth  of  Eldon  Hole  have  not, 
therefore,  been  ascertained. 

There  is  a second  kind  of  caverns  which  are  essentially 
distinguished  from  the  first,  by  the  circumstance  chat  they 
reach  the  daylight  at  both  ends,  piercing  through  the  rocks 
in  which  they  are  situated,  and  forming  natural  shafts. 

Their  appearance  is  very  remarkable  when,  they  occur  on 
the  top  of  isolated  mountain  peaks,  or  of  independent 
masses  of  rock;  and  when  they  are  so  straight  that  the  day- 
light appears  through  them,  they  present  a very  remarkable 
aspect,  and  have  been  designated  by  the  name  of  transpar- 
ent caverns. 

On  this  account,  the  so-named  Martin’s  Hole  is  particu- 
larly celebrated.  It  penetrates  the  Tschingel  Peak,  one  of 
the  highest  mountains  of  the  Hodi  chain;  and  twice  in 
the  year,  in  March  and  September,  the  sun  appears  as  if 
through  a pipe,  and  gives  to  the  valley  beneath  a highly 
singular  and  pleasing  effect. 

The  third  aud  most  frequent  form  of  caverns  is  unques- 
tionably that  in  which  there  is  a series  of  extensions  of 
nearly  similar  height  and  direction,  which  are  connected 
with  each  other  by  passages  of  greater  or  less  extent.  This 
17* 


394 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


is  the  form  of  the  caverns  of  the  Hartz,  the  Cave  of  Caripe, 
visited  by  Humboldt,  of  Antiparos,  and  of  the  Peak  of 
Derbyshire.  This  is  also  the  form  of  the  more  important 
caves  of  Pranconia.  The  extent  of  these  penetrations  into 
the  mountains,  in  particular  of  such  as  are  situated  in 
limestone,  is  often  very  extraordinary.  In  many  of  them 
the  extremity  has  never  been  reached ; and  it  appears  from 
concurrent  testimony  that  some  of  them  have  been  ex- 
plored for  more  than  a mile  in  length. 

Humboldt  describes  a somewhat  dissimilar  but  very  re- 
markable cavern  in  the  western  world,  in  the  province  of 
He w Andulasia,  not  far  from  the  convent  of  Caripe,  called 
the  Cavern  of  Guacharo — the  name  of  a class  of  nocturnal 
birds  which  make  it  their  abode.  The  entrance  is  a vaulted 
arch,  eighty  feet  broad  and  seventy-two  feet  high ; the  steep 
rock  that  surmounts  this  opening  is  covered  with  gigantic 
trees,  mixed  with  creeping  and  climbing  plants  and  shrubs, 
brilliant  with  blossoms  of  the  richest  colors  and  the  most 
varied  forms.  These  form  natural  festoons,  which  hang 
from  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  are  gently  agitated  by  the 
passing  currents  of  air. 

But  this  luxuriant  vegetation  was  not  alone  confined  to 
the  exterior.  The  traveler,  on  following  the  banks  of  a 
subterranean  stream  into  the  grotto,  beheld  them,  with 
astonishment,  adorned  f6r  thirty  or  forty  yards  with  the 
Praga  palm  trees,  plantain-leaved  heliconias,  eighteen 
feet  high,  and  arms  that  resembled  trees  in  their  size.  It 
was  not  found  necessary  to  light  their  torches  till  they  had 
reached  the  distance  of  four  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  owing 
to  the  continuous  direction  of  the  cavern,  which  allows  the 
light  of  day  to  penetrate  thus  far ; and  when  this  began  to 
fail,  the  hoarse  cries  of  the  nocturnal  birds  began  to  be 
audible  from  a distance. 

The  shrill,  discordant  noise  made  by  hundreds  of  these 
birds,  brought  from  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  cave  and 
reverberated  from  the  arched  roofs,  formed  an  indescribable 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


395 


clamor.  The  Indian  guides,  by  fixing  torches  to  the  ends 
of  long  poles,  showed  the  traveler  the  nests  of  the  birds, 
which  were  constructed  in  funnel  shaped  holes,  with  which 
the  roof  of  the  grotto  was  pierced  in  all  directions,  and 
generally  at  about  sixty  feet  high. 

Still  pursuing  the  course  of  the  river,  the  cavern  pre- 
served the  same  width  and  height  to  the  distance  of  four- 
teen hundred  and  fifty-eight  feet  from  the  mouth.  The 
traveler,  on  turning  round,  was  struck  with  the  singularly 
beautiful  appearance -which  a hill  covered  with  the  richest 
vegetation,  immediately  fronting  the  entrance  of  the  grotto, 
presented.  This,  brilliantly  illumined  by  the  sun’s  rays 
and  seen  through  the  vista  of  a dark  cave,  formed  a strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  surrounding  obscurity;  while  the  large 
stalactites  depending  from  the  roof  were  relieved  against 
the  luminous  background  of  verdure. 

After  surmounting,  with  some  difficulty,  an  abrupt  rise 
in  the  ground  where  the  stream  forms  a small  cascade,  he 
found  that  the  cave  diminished  in  height  to  forty  feet,  but 
retained  its  original  direction.  . Here  a blackish  mould  was 
found,  either  brought  by  the  rivulet  or  washed  down  from 
the  roof  by  the  rain-water  which  penetrated  the  crevices 
of  the  rock ; and  in  this  he  found  seeds  growing,  which 
had  been  brought  thus  far  by  the  birds,  but  so  altered  by 
the  deprivation  of  light,  that  the  species  of  plant  thus  pro- 
duced under  such  unfavorable  circumstances  could  not  even 
be  recognized.  It  was  impossible  to  persuade  the  Indian 
guides  to  advance  further.  The  cries  of  the  birds,  rendered 
still  more  horrible  by  the  contraction  of  the  cave,  had  such 
an  effect  on  their  minds  that  they  absolutely  refused  to 
proceed ; and,  to  the  regret  of  Humboldt,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  retrace  his  steps. 


396 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


OXLV.— THE  GREAT  DESERTS. 

The  most  important  group  of  deserts  in  the  world  is  that 
of  the  Sahara,  which  extends  across  the  African  continent 
from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  the  valley  of  the  Nile. 
This  immense  area  is  more  than  3,100  miles  from  east  to 
west,  and  is,  on  an  average,  more  than  600  miles  in  breadth ; 
it  is,  in  fact,  equal  in  size  to  two-thirds  of  Europe.  This  is 
the  part  of  the  earth  in  which  the  heat  is  most  intense ; 
although  it  is  to  the  north  of  the  equator,  yet,  as  regards 
most  of  the  world,  it  is  the  real  south , and  the  principal 
point  of  attraction  for  the  winds. 

In  this  region  there  is  only  one  season,  viz.,  summer, 
burning  and  merciless.  It  is  but  rarely  that  rain  comes  to 
refresh  these  regions,  on  which  the  solar  rays  dart  vertically 
down.  The  desert  is  very  sandy.  Throughout  the  greater 
part  of  its  extent  the  soil  is  composed  of  gravel  and  large- 
grained sand,  which  does  not  give  way,  even  under  the  foot 
of  the  camel.  Some  of  the  ranges  of  sand-hills  which  rise 
in  this  desert  are  chains  of  small  hills,  composed  of  heavy 
sand  which  resists  the  influence  of  the  wind.  The  trade- 
winds  which  pass  over  the  desert  distribute  these  sandy 
masses  into  long  waves  like  those  of  the  ocean  and  here  and 
there  raise  them  into  movable  sand-hills,  which  overwhelm 
all  the  oases  which  lie  across  their  path. 

Off  the  coast  which  stretches  between  Cape  Bojador  and 
Cape  Blanco,  a line  of  sand-banks  extends  far  out  into  the 
sea.  These  banks  are  constantly  renewed  by  the  desert- 
wind  ; and  the  Arabs,  who.  go  to  collect  the  waifs  and  strays 
from  shipwrecked  vessels,  can  safely  venture  out  several 
miles  from  the  shore.  A current  of  sand  is  therefore  con- 
stantly passing  across  the  desert  from  north-east  to  south- 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


397 


west.  The  debris  of  rocks  in  a state  of  decomposition,  and 
the  particles  brought  to  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Cabes  by 
the  tide,  which  is  very  powerful  at  this  point,  are  driven 
before  the  wind  into  the  plains  of  the  Sahel,  and  thence, 
after  a journey  lasting  hundreds  and  perhaps  thousands  of 
years,  they  at  last  reach  the  sea-shore  of  the  Atlantic,  in 
order  to  recommence  in  the  oceanic  currents  another  course 
of  wandering. 

Some  parts  of  the  eastern  Sahara  are  equally  sandy;  but 
the  principal  parts  of  the  surface  of  this  desert  are  occupied 
by  plains  of  rock  or  clay,  and  by  groups  of  grayish  or  yellow- 
ish mountains.  The  chains  of  sand-hills  are  numerous, 
and,  like  those  of  the  west,  they  travel  incessantly  under 
the  impulse  of  the  wind  in  a south  or  south-west  direction. 
Those  districts  of  the  Sahara  which  are  destitute  of  oases 
present  a truly  formidable  aspect,  and  are  fearful  places  to 
travel  over.  The  path  which  the  feet  of  camels  have 
marked  out  in  the  immense  solitude  points  in  a straight 
line  towards  the  spot  which  the  caravan  tvishes  to  reach. 
Sometimes  these  faint  foot-marks  are  again  covered  with 
sand,  and  the  travelers  are  obliged  to  consult  the  compass 
or  examine  the  horizon ; a distant  sand-hill,  a bush,  a heap 
of  earners  bones,  or  some  other  indications  which  the  prac- 
tised eye  of  the  guide  alone  can  understand,  are  the  means 
by  which  the  road  is  recognized. 

Vegetation  is  rare,  deprived  as  it  is  of  the  moisture  which 
it  requires;  the  only  plants  to  be  seen  are  the  thistle  and 
thorny  mimosas ; in  some  sandy  districts  there  is  a complete 
absence  of  all  kinds  of  vegetation.  The  only  animals  to  be 
found  in  the  desert  are  scorpions,  lizards,  vipers  and  ants. 
During  the  first  few  days  of  the  journey  some  indefatigable 
individuals  of  the  fly  tribe  accompany  the  caravan,  but  they 
are  soon  killed  by  the  heat;  even  the  flea  itself  will  not 
venture  into  these  dreadful  regions.  The  intense  radiation 
of  the  enormous  white  or  red  surface  of  the  desert  dazzles 
the  eyes;  in  this  blinding  light,  every  object  appears  to  be 


39S 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


clothed  with  a sombre  tint.  Stagnant  pools*  or  wells  dug 
with  great  labor  in  some  hollow*  from  the  sides  of  which 
oozes  out  a scanty  and  brackish  moisture*  point  out*  each 
day*  the  end  of  the  stage.  But*  often*  this  unwholesome 
swamp*  where  they  hoped  to  be  able  to  recruit  their  ener- 
gies* is  not  to  be  found*  and  the  people  of  the  caravan  must 
content  themselves  with  the  tainted  water  with  which  they 
filled  their  flasks  at  the  preceding  stage. 

It  is  said  that  in  times  of  great  need  the  travelers  have 
been  compelled  to  kill  their  dromedaries  in  order  to  quench 
their  thirst  in  the  nauseous  liquid  which  is  contained  in 
the  stomach  of  these  animals.  Terrible  stories  are  also  told 
by  the  side  of  the  watch-fire*  of  caravans  being  overtaken 
when  amidst  the  sand-hills  by  a sudden  storm  of  wind* 
and  completely  buried  under  the  moving  masses ; they  also 
tell  of  whole  companies  losing  their  way  in  the  deserts  of 
sand  or  rocks*  and  dying  of  madness  after  having  under- 
gone all  the  direst  tortures  of  heat  and  thirst.  The  nights 
which  follow  the  burning  days  in  the  Sahara  are  in  general 
very  cold.  In  fact*  the  air  of  these  countries  being  entirely 
destitute  of  watery  vapor*  the  heat  collected  during  the  day 
on  the  surface  of  the  desert  is*  owing  to  the  nightly  radia- 
tion* again  lost  in  space.  The  sensation  of  cold  produced 
by  this  wa.ste  of  heat  is  most  acute*  and  especially  so  to  the 
chilly  Arab.  Not  a year  passes  without  ice  forming  on  the 
ground*  and  white  frosts  are  frequent. 

In  all  those  countries  in  the  Sahara*  where  the  water 
gushes  out  in  springs  or  descends  in  streams  from  some 
group  of  mountains,  there  is  an  oasis  formed — a little  green 
island*  the  beauty  of  which  contrasts  most  strikingly  with 
the  barrenness  of  the  surrounding  sands.  These  oases, 
compared  by  Strabo  to  the  spots  dotted  over  the  skin  of  the 
panther*  are  very  numerous*  and  perhaps  comprehend  alto- 
gether an  area  equal  in  extent  to  one-third  of  the  whcle 
Sahara.  In  the  greater  part  of  this  region*  the  oases*  far 
from  being  scattered  about  irregularly*  are*  on  the  contrary 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


399 


arranged  in  long  lines  in  the  middle  of  the  desert.  Thanks 
to  this  distribution  of  the  oases,  like  beads  on  a necklace, 
the  caravans  dare  to  venture  into  the  solitudes  of  the 
Sahara,  their  stages  all  being  marked  out  beforehand  by 
the  patches  of  verdure  which  in  turn  rise  on  the  horizon. 
To  the  east  of  Egypt,  which  may  be  considered  as  a long 
oasis  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  the  desert  begins 
again  and  borders  the  whole  extent  of  the  Eed  Sea.  A large 
part  of  Arabia  presents  nothing  but  sands  and  rocks,  and 
towards  the  southeast  there  are  solitudes  which  no  traveler, 
either  Arab  or  Frank,  seems  yet  to  have  crossed. 

To  the  east  of  the  Arabian  peninsula,  the  chain  of  deserts 
is  prolonged  across  Asia.  The  principal  part  of  the  plain 
of  Iran,  surrounded  by  mountains  which  stop  the  rains  in 
their  passage,  consists  of  sterile  solitudes,  some  covered 
with  salt-beds,  the  remains  of  dried-up  lakes,  others  spread 
over  with  shifting  sands,  which  the  wind  blows  up  into 
eddies,  or  dotted  over  with  reddish-colored  hills,  which  the 
mirage  renders  either  nearer  or  more  distant  to  the  eye 
than  they  really  are,  incessantly  modifying  them  according 
to  the  changes  of  the  atmosphere. 

Beyond  the  mighty  central  group,  whence  branch  forth 
far  and  wide  the  mountain  chains  of  Asia,  the  steppes  and 
deserts,  mutually  alternating  according  to  the  topographi- 
cal conditions,  and  the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  water, 
extend  over  a space  of  more  than  1,850  miles  between 
Siberia  and  China  proper.  The  eastern  part  of  this  belt  is 
called,  according  to  the  language,  Cobi  or  Chamo,  that  is  to 
say,  the  desert,  and  from  its  great  size  corresponds  with  the 
Sahara  of  Africa,  situated  exactly  at  the  opposite  extremity 
of  the  long  chain  of  solitudes  which  stretches  right  across 
the  Old  World. 

The  mirage,  the  moving  sand-hills  blown  up  into  eddies, 
and  many  other  phenomena  described  by  African  travelers, 
are  found  in  certain  districts  of  the  Cobi,  just  the  same  as 
in  all  other  deserts.  But  the  cold  here  is  exceptionally 


400 


THE  WOULD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


intense,  on  account  of  the  great  height  of  the  land,  which  is 
on  an  average  4,950  feet,  and  the  nearness  of  the  plains  of 
Siberia,  which  are  crossed  by  the  polar  wind.  It  freezes 
nearly  every  night  and  often  during  the  day.  The  dryness 
of  the  atmosphere  is  extreme ; there  is  hardly  any  vegeta- 
tion, and  a few  grassy  hollows  are  the  only  oases  of  these 
regions. 


CXLVL— HOT  SPRINGS  AND  GEYSERS. 

Many  countries,  once  burning  with  volcanoes,  now'  ex- 
hibit numerous  hot  and  steaming  springs,  gushing  forth 
from  the  depths  of  the  mountains.  Some  of  the  most 
striking  examples  of  these  are  found  in  California,  in  a lat- 
eral gorge  of  the  valley  of  Napa. 

The  ravine  of  Infernilio,  which  is  situated  at  the  base  of 
the  volcano  of  San  Yincente,  in  the  center  of  the  Republic 
of  San  Salvador,  presents  phenomena  similar  to  those  of 
California.  There,  too,  a multitude  of  streams  of  boiling 
water  gush  from  the  soil,  which  is  calcined  like  a brick, 
and  eddies  of  vapor  spring  from  the  fissures  of  the  rock 
with  a noise  like  the  shrill  ■whistle  of  a locomotive.  The 
most  considerable  body  of  vrater  issues  from  a fissure  thirty- 
two  feet  in  wfidth,  which  opens  under  a bed  of  volcanic 
rocks  at  a slight  elevation  above  the  bottom  of  the  valley. 
The  liquid  stream,  partially  hidden  by  the  clouds  of  vapor 
which  rise  from  it,  is  shot  out  to  a distance  of  130  feet,  as 
if  by  a force-pump,  and  the  wdiistling  of  the  water  pent  up 
between  the  rocks  reminds  one  of  the  furnace  of  a manu- 
factory at  full  work. 

In  Iceland,  California,  New  Zealand,  and  several  other 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


401 


yolcanic  regions  of  the  world,  jets  of  steam,  mingled  with 
boiling  water,  are  so  considerable  as  to  rank  among  the  most 
astonishing  phenomena  of  the  planet.  The  most  celebrated, 
and  certainly  the  most  beautiful,  of  all  these  springs,  is  the 
Great  Geyser  of  Iceland.  Seen  from  afar,  light  yapors, 
creeping  oyer  the  low  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of 
Blafel,  point  out  the  situation  of  the  jet  of  water  and  of 
the  neighboring  springs. 

It  has  been  admirably  described  by  Lord  Dufferin  in  his 
account  of  a visit  to  Iceland,  and  an  exploration  of  its 
natural  curiosities : — We  found  ourselves,  he  says,  in  the 
presence  of  the  steaming  geysers.  1 do  not  know  that  I 
can  give  you  a better  notion  of  the  place  than  by  saying 
that  it  looked  as  if — for  about  a quarter  of  a mile — the 
ground  had  been  honeycombed  by  disease  into  numerous 
sores  and  orifices : not  a blade  of  grass  grew  on  its  hot,  in- 
flamed surface,  which  consisted  of  unwholesome-looking 
red,  livid  gray,  or  crumpled  shreds  and  shards  of  slough- 
like incrustations. 

Naturally  enough,  our  first  impulse  on  dismounting  was 
to  scamper  off  at  once  to  the  Great  Geyser.  As  it  lay  at  the 
furthest  end  of  the  congeries  of  hot  springs,  in  order  to 
reach  it  we  had  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  all  the  pools  of  boil- 
ing water  and  scalding  quagmires  of  soft  clay  that  inter- 
vened, and  consequently  arrived  on  the  spot  with  our 
ankles  nicely  poulticed.  But  the  occasion  justified  our 
eagerness.  A smooth,  silicious  basin,  seventy-two  feet  in 
diameter,  and  four  feet  deep,  with  a hole  at  the  bottom,  as 
in  a washing-basin  on  board  a steamer,  stood  before  us, 
brimful  of  water,  just  upon  the  simmer ; while  up  into  the 
air  above  our  heads  rose  a great  column  of  vapor,  looking 
as  if  it  was  going  to  turn  into  the  LishermaAs  Genii. 

The  ground  about  the  brim  was  composed  of  layers  of 
incrusted  silica,  like  the  outside  of  an  oyster,  sloping  gently 
down  on  all  sides  from  the  edge  of  the  basin.  We  kept 
watch,  continues  Lord  Dufferin,  for  three  days  over  the 


402 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE, 


geyser  in  expectation  of  the  eruption.  On  the  morning  of 
the  fourth  day  a cry  from  the  guides  made  us  start  to  our 
feet,  and  with  one  common  impulse,  rush  toward  the 
basin.  The  usual  subterranean  thunders  had  already  com- 
menced. A violent  agitation  was  disturbing  the  center  of 
the  pool. 

Suddenly  a dome  of  water  lifted  itself  up  to  the  height  of 
eight  or  ten  feet,  then  burst  and  fell ; immediately  after 
which  a shining  liquid  column,  or  rather  a sheaf  of  columns, 
wreathed  in  robes  of  vapor,  sprung  into  the  air,  and  in  a 
succession  of  jerking  leaps,  each  higher  than  the  last,  flung 
their  silver  crests  against  the  sky.  For  a few  minutes  the 
fountain  held  its  own,  then  all  at  once  appeared  to  lose  its 
ascending  energy. 

The  unstable  waters  faltered — drooped — fell,  “like  a 
broken  purpose,  back  upon  themselves,”  and  were  imme- 
diately sucked  down  into  the  recesses  of  their  pipe. 

The  spectacle  was  certainly  magnificent ; but  no  descrip- 
tion can  give'  any  idea  of  its  most  striking  features.  The 
enormous  wealth  of  water,  its  vitality,  its  hidden  power — 
the  illimitable  breath  of  sunlit  vapor,  rolling  out  in  ex- 
haustless profusion— all  combined  to  make  one  feel  the 
stupendous  energy  of  Nature’s  slightest  movements.  And 
yet,  says  Lord  Dufferin,  in  conclusion,  I do  not  believe  the 
exhibition  was  so  fine  as  some  that  have  been  seen. 


CXLVIL— VALLEYS,  PASSES,  AND  RAVINES. 

That  depression  of  the  earth’s  surface,  which  occurs  be- 
tween two  mountains,  hills,  or  neighboring  plateaux,  we 
call  a valley.  In  form  and  origin  these  depressions  present 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


403 


a remarkable  variety.  The  valleys  are  very  narrow,  and 
closely  resemble  actual  gaps  of  the  soil,  if  the  mountains 
which  enclose  them  approach  one  another  very  nearly. 
When  they  are  separated  by  a wide  interval,  the  valleys 
expand  until  they  form  plains. 

If  we  consider  their  origin,  we  shall  divide  them  into 
“valleys  of  subsidence,”  “valleys  of  upheaval,”  “valleys  of 
separation,”  and  “ valleys  of  denudation.”  The  former  are 
produced  by  earthquakes ; that  is,  by  the  great  oscillations 
which  in  former  ages  convulsed  the  earth.  Therein  we  see 
continued,  with  a gentle  incline,  the  strata  forming  the 
lateral  elevations. 

“Valleys  of  upheaval”  have  originated  in  the  sudden  dis- 
location of  two  or  more  layers  of  rock — a dislocation  gen- 
erally due  to  the  action  of  an  earthquake. 

“Valleys  of  separation  ” may  also  be  formed  by  the  loss  or 
wearing  away  of  a bed  of  earth  formerly  superimposed  on 
other  beds.  This  kind  of  valley  is  caused  by  the  action  of 
glaciers  or  by  surface  waste. 

“Valleys  of  denudation  ” exhibit  the  latter  phenomenon 
on  a larger  scale.  They  owe  their  origin  to  the  destructive 
action  of  the  waters,  which  have  laid  bare  the  lower  strata 
of  the  soil  by  carrying  away  the  upper. 

If  we  turn  our  glance  toward  an  island  or  the  shores  of 
a continent,  we  observe  that,  starting  from  the  sea,  the 
ground  rises  gradually  up  to  a certain  height,  which  forms 
the  water-shed  or  summit-line ; and  that  from  this  summit 
it  begins  to  decline,  thus  exhibiting  two  opposite  slopes. 
Each  general  slope  subdivides  into  numerous  secondary 
slopes,  formed  by  the  transversal  branches  which  project 
from  the  summit-line,  and  terminate  at  uncertain  distances. 
The  line  following  the  bottom  of  the  valley  is  the  route  or 
channel  of  the  waters  which  spring  from  the  principal  sum- 
mit, and  descend  toward  the  sea  or  toward  the  plain.  It 
almost  always  becomes  the  bed  of  a river.  The  high  valleys 
often  present,  at  their  origin,  a number  of  small  secondary 


404 


THE  WOELD  IN  THE  STEEEOSCOPE. 


yalleys,  whose  flanks  have  a very  gentle  slope,  and  which 
are  frequently  called  vales. 

In  mountain  chains,  the  starting-point  of  two  opposite 
branches  is  generally  marked  by  a sinking  of  the  crest,  and 
the  origin  of  two  opposite  Talleys  is  indicated  by  a depres- 
sion. A Talley  is  frequently  formed  by  a projecting  angle 
of  one  of  the  two  branches  which  serTe  as  its  enclosing 
rampart,  in  such  wise  that  there  remains  but  a narrow  pas- 
sage through  which  the  traTeler  can  penetrate ; such  a 
passage  is  named  a Pass  or  Defile.  The  aboriginal  inhabi- 
tants of  eTery  country  establish  themselTes  at  the  outset  in 
the  low,  sheltered,  and  fertile  Talleys;  hence,  the  cols  or 
passes  which  proTided  them  with  an  access  to  the  outer 
world  haTe  sometimes  receded  the  name  of  “ Gates  of  the 
Nations.” 

Let  us  mention,  for  example,  the  Porta  Vestphalica, 
which  the  riTer  Weser  traTerses  ; the  Gates  of  the  Caucasus ; 
the  Pass  of  Issus,  near  the  Syrian  Gates,  in  the  Taurus 
chain,  rendered  famous  by  the  Tictory  of  Alexander  the 
Great  oxer  Darius  Codomanus ; the  Thermopylae  (or  the 
“Hot  Gates,”)  immortalized  by  the  heroic  dexotion  of 
Leonidas  and  his  Three  Hundred. 

In  the  United  States  there  exist  some  remarkable  exam- 
ples in  the  abrupt  openings  through  which  the  Hudson  has 
forced  the  mountain  barriers.  Some  of  the  “gates”  in  the 
Andes  haTe  a depth  of  5,000  feet. 

The  defile  of  the  Dariel,  or  “ Gates  of  the  Caucasus,”  is 
thus  described  by  Blanchard,  who  traxersed  it  in  1857,  on 
his  route  from  Tiflis  to  Staxropol : “ Of  all  the  mountain 
passes  which  I haTe  explored,  this  is  the  most  imposing. 
Figure  to  yourself  two  immense  walls  of  rock  rising  per- 
pendicularly and  nearly  to  the  limit  of  eternal  snows,  and 
at  their  foot  a torrent,  foaming  and  furious,  interrupted  in 
its  course  by  immense  boulders  detached  from  the  neigh- 
boring mountain  ; a road  sometimes  scarcely  ten  feet  wide, 
a width  which  has  often  been  attained  only  by  making  it 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


405 


bound,  in  the  form  of  a semi-vault,  over  the  rocks  of  the 
perpendicular  wall — such  is  the  picture.  The  pen  cannot 
convey  any  idea  of  the  savage  grandeur  which  this  passage 
exhibits;  this  impregnable  Thermopylae,  whose  master  is 
also  master  of  the  military  road  penetrating  from  Europe 
into  Asia.” 

Gorges  and  ravines  are  numerous  enough  in  countries 
abounding  with  hills  and  table-lands ; they  invariably  lead 
to  the  most  open  valleys.  In  traveling  along  the  ridge 
which  overhangs  them,  we  frequently  arrive  upon  their 
very  brink  before  discovering  them.  Their  origin  is  gen- 
erally due  to  the  destructive  action  of  a violent  torrent,  or 
to  crevasses  produced  by  a sudden  fracture  or  convulsion  of 
the  soil.  Ravines  are  formed  by  torrents  hollowing  out  for 
themselves  a channel  in  the  mountain  side.  The  Pyrenees, 
the  Alps,  and  especially  the  Andes,  are  furrowed  in  every 
direction  by  profound  ravines.  The  loftier  the  mountains, 
the  more  considerable  are  these  erosions.  The  Spaniards 
call  the  Andean  ravines  quebradas  (or  “ fractures  ”). 

The  basins  of  great  rivers  are  also  spoken  of  as  valleys : 
as  the  valley  of  the  Ganges,  the  valley  of  the  Rhine,  the 
valley  of  the  Thames.  At  some  points,  these  valleys  expand 
into  plains ; at  others  they  narrow  into  defiles.  A remark- 
able example  is  offered  by  the  Nile,  which  flows  for  leagues 
through  wide,  open,  and  level  plains,  to  contract  at  Assouan 
between  walls  of  savage  cliff.  In  mountainous  countries, 
the  river  valleys  exhibit  every  variety  of  wild  and  romantic 
scenery ; in  level  countries  they  are  more  remarkable  for 
fertility  than  grandeur  or  picturesqueness.  Of  the  former, 
we  may  name  as  striking  instances  the  valley  of  the  Aar, 
in  Switzerland;  the  valley  of  the  Tay,  in  Scotland;  the 
valley  of  the  Danube,  in  Austria ; the  valley  of  the  Indus, 
in  Asia;  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  in  North  America.  Of  the 
latter,  the  following  examples  will  readily  suggest  them- 
selves : the  valley  of  the  Thames  in  England ; those  of  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  in  the  United  States. 


406 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE* 


CXLVIIL— LAKES  AND  PONDS. 

• 

Collections  of  water — ponds,  pools,  lakes,  or  inland  seas — 
are  formed  in  every  depression  of  the  ground  which  receives 
a larger  quantity  of  liquid,  either  from  rivers  or  directly 
from  the  clouds,  than  it  can  get  rid  of  through  its  affluents, 
or  transfer  to  the  atmosphere  in  the  form  of  vapor.  Hence 
arises  that  infinite  variety  of  sheets  of  water  which  gives  so 
much  grace  or  grandeur  to  landscapes,  and  exercises  such 
a considerable  influence  on  the  action  of  rivers,  on  climates, 
on  the  productions  of  the  soil,  and  consequently  on  the 
development  of  mankind. 

The  liquid  mass  contained  in  any  basin  on  the  surface  of 
the  earth  does  not  increase  to  an  indefinite  extent,  even 
when  considerable  quantities  of  water  are  constantly  being 
poured  into  it  by  its  tributaries.  Either  the  basin  com- 
pletely fills  up,  and  the  overflow  is  emptied  out  through  the 
lowest  depression  in  its  rim,  or  the  sheet,  gradually  enlarg- 
ing in  areas  ultimately  presents  a surface  sufficiently  exten- 
sive for  evaporation  to  establish  an  equipoise  to  the  supply 
of  water. 

Perfect  equality  between  the  mass  of  water  received  and 
that  which  escapes  does  not,  however,  exist  in  any  lake, 
and  consequently  the  level  never  ceases  to  fluctuate ; some- 
times it  rises  and  sometimes  it  sinks,  according  to  the  vari- 
ous seasons  and  years.  After  heavy  falls  of  rain,  or  at  the 
time  of  the  melting  of  the  snow,  some  pools  are  changed 
into  perfect  lakes,  in  the  same  way  as,  during  long  periods 
of  drought,  some  lacustrine  basins  entirely  dry  up. 

The  upheavals  and  sinkings  of  the  ground,  the  growth 
oi  mountain  ridges,  the  encroachments  or  retirements  of 
the  shores  ol  continents,  the  alternations  of  the  winds  and 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


407 


rains,  landslips,  and  the  rupture  of  natural  dikes — -all  have 
the  effect  of  either  giving  rise  to  and  increasing,  or  of  doing 
away  with  or  diminishing,  the  masses  of  water  which  are 
collected  in  the  interior  of  continents.  Like  every  thing 
else  which  exists  on  the  surface  of  the  globe,  lakes  have 
their  periods  of  increase  and  decrease,  and  even  within  the 
limited  period  during  which  man  has  begun  to  record  the 
annals  of  his  planet,  numbers  of  fresh  lakes  have  made 
their  appearance  whilst  many  others  have  entirely  dried  up 
or  have  considerably  diminished  in  extent. 

In  mountainous  regions  it  is  a well-known  fact  that  the 
fall  of  rocks  and  the  advance  of  glaciers  have  often  caused 
the  formation  of  considerable  lakes.  In  like  manner,  some 
large  lakes  have  appeared  since  the  Middle  Ages,  owing  to 
the  cutting  down  of  the  trees  upon  the  dunes,  and  the 
shifting  of  the  latter  toward  the  east.  On  the  other  hand, 
instances  of  lakes  which  have  disappeared  owing  to  natural 
causes,  without  being  subjected  to  any  human  labor  in  the 
process  of  their  exhaustion,  are  likewise  very  numerous. 

Thus  the  plain  of  Oisans,  in  the  Alps  of  Daupliine  having 
been  suddenly  closed  up  in  1811  by  a downfall  of  rocks,  the 
waters  of  the  rivers  accumulated  above  the  obstacle,  and 
spread  out  into  a lake  of  six  and  a half  miles  in  length. 
Villages,  vast  plains,  and  whole  forests  were  swallowed  up 
under  a liquid  sheet  of  an  average  depth  of  thirty-three 
feet,  and  the  local  employment  gradually  became  that  of 
fishing.  The  lake  existed  for  thirty-eight  years,  and  then 
the  barrier  suddenly  yielded  under  the  pressure  of  the 
water,  and  the  body  of  liquid  rushed  like  a deluge  over 
Grenoble  and  all  the  towns  and  plains  below.  At  the 
commencement  of  the  fourteenth  century,  the  former  lake, 
which  had  received  the  name  of  the  Lake  of  Saint  Laurent, 
was  completely  dried  up. 

Lakes  are  not  only  distinguished  from  each  other  by 
their  shape  and  the  depth  of  their  basin,  they  also  vary  in 
the  appearance  of  their  water ; and  even  in  this  respect  the 


408 


THE  WORLD  IN  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 


diversity  of  the  matters  held  in  suspension  or  solution  in 
the  liquid  mass  is  not  always  sufficient  to  explain  the 
remarkable  - contrast  presented  by  adjacent  sheets  of  water. 
The  color  and  transparency  of  the  liquid  differ  astonish- 
ingly in  most  mountaip  lakes. 

Some  are  of  an  emerald  green,  others  of  a sapphire  blue, 
a few  even  have  a milky  shade.  There  are  some,  indeed, 
the  water  of  which  is  transparent,  that  have  a brown  or 
yellowish  color.  In  every 'case,  whatever  may  be  the  natural 
hue  of  each  of  these  lakes,  they  incessantly  vary  on  account 
of  the  reflection  of  the  rays  of  the  sun,  the  clouds,  or  the 
color  of  the  sky,  and  the  refraction  of  the  light.  One  lake, 
the  water  of  which,  not  far  from  the  bank,  is  of  a yellowish 
green,  owing  to  the  rocky  bottom  just  visible  below  the 
undulations  of  the  surface,  is  of  a deep  blue  above  the 
invisible  abysses  of  its  central  portion.  Another  lake  pre- 
sents a well-defined  difference  of  color  between  the  tranquil 
water  of  its  basin  and  that  which  is  brought  in  by  the  rapid 
current  of  the  water  which  crosses  it. 

In  other  places,  again,  the  eddies  light  up  the  surface 
with  reflections  of  a bronzed  or  greenish  hue;  even  the  par- 
ticles of  sand  or  ooze,  as  well  as  the  chemical  substances  in 
the  water,  must  necessarily,  however  infinitesimal  their 
tenuity  may  be,  tinge  the  liquid  sheet  with  various  shades. 
Vegetable  mold  gives  to  lakes  a color  more  or  less  shaded 
with  red  or  brown;  clay  gives  them  a yellowish  tinge. 
The  rocks  and  pebbles,  according  to  Tyndall,  are  the  agents 
which  confer  on  the  Lake  of  Geneva  and  other  mountain 
lakes  their  lovely  azure  color.  The  most  wonderfully 
transparent  water,  which,  too,  is  the  most  devoid  of  all  im- 
purity, is  in  general  a sea-green  hue.  It  is  said  that  objects 
are  sometimes  visible  in  it  at  a depth  of  80  and  even  100 
feet. 


Alphabetical  Index  of  Places  and  Subjects 


PAGE. 

a9 


Aar  Glacier 2 77 

Achray  Lake 192 

Acropolis  of  Athens.  ....  90 

ACtna,  Eruption  of  1865. . 85-40 

and  other  Volcanoes  132 

Ajmeer,  India,  Temples  at  222 

Aska,  Mosque  of,  at  Jeru- 
salem  198 

Alexandria,  Egypt 285 

Alhambra  by  Moonlight,  245-247 

Palace,  Spain * 243-244 

Alps,  Mountains 96-98 

Approach  to 385 

Be  Saussure’s  Ascent 

of  Mount  Blanc  99-104 

First  Ascent  of  Mont 

Blanc 45-49 

— — Glaciers  of. 80-87 

Gorges  of 205,  279 

Alps,  Heights  of... . 97 

Hymn  before  Sunrise  87 

Poetical  Address  to  104,  105 

Roads  across 98 

Sarnthal  Valley 107 

Scenery  Amid 106 

Alpine  Scenery 49 

Andes,  Volcanic 130 

— The,  (Poem.) 289 

Angelo,  Castle  of,  in  Rome  141 

Antisana,  Summits  of 135 

Aosta,  Castle  at 228 

City  of 106 

Vale  of 106 

Apennine  Mountains 98 

Arabian  Bedouins 256 

Areopagus  of  Athens 91 

Arsenal,  Cairo 184 

Art,  Power  of 220,  221 

Works,  Restored  to 

Italy,  (Poem,). ..  32 

Arve,  River — Apostrophe 

to 87 

18 


Arveyron,  Source  of 

Asia,  Mountains  of.  ..... . 

Volcanoes  of. 

Assonan,  Nile  Cataract  of 

Athens,  History 

Modern 

Ruins  of 

Avalanche. 

Adventure  in 

Avoca,  Vale  of,  Ireland. . . 

Balmat,  Swiss  Guide 

Balmoral  Castle 

Baptistery,  Pisa 

Bard,  Castle,  Aosta 

Bastile,  Place  of,  Paris. . . 
Beal’  an  Duine,  Battle, . . . 

Bedouin,  Arafys 

Bell,  Great,  of  Moscow. . . . 

Ben  Nevis,  Mount 

Berlin,  Prussia 

— — Palaces  of. 

Bethlehem,  Scenery  near, 
Biggeh,  Egypt,  Ruins  of 

Big  Trees,  California 

Bishop’s  Palace,  Mexico. . . 

Blanc,  Mont 

— He  Saussure’s  Ascent 

First  Ascent 

Height  of 

Bois,  Glacier  of.  ......  . 

Bossons,  Glacier  of 

Boston,  City  of 

Boulevards,  Paris  after  the 

War 

Bourse,  Paris 

Boussingault’s  A scent  of 

Chimborazo 

Bozen,  City  of 

Braemar  Castle .... 

Breakneck  Hill, Hudson. . 
Bridal  Vail  Fall 


PAGE. 

87,  277 
345 
131 
187 

89 

90 

91 

138,  349 
352 
192,  383 


46-49 
193 
77 
228 
275 
248-251 
256 
299 
95,  294 
241 
241-243 
342 
201 
148-150 
265 

97 

99-104 

45-49 

98 
278 
277 
315 

162 

161 

138 
107,  229 
176 
314 
146 


410 


INDEX. 


Bridge  Natural 

PAGE. 

258,  358 

Pont  Neuf,  Paris.  ... 

161 

over  Rhine 

*205 

of  Sighs,  Yenice.. . „ 

125 

Defined 

368 

Rialto,  Venice _ 

369 

Suspension 

370 

Conway 

370 

over  Rhone 

370 

W estminister,  Lon- 
don  

158 

Brooklyn,  City 

208 

Buckingham  Palace,  Lon- 
don  

158 

Bunker  Hill  Monument... 

315 

Burial  of  Moses,  (Poem,). 

325 

c. 

Cairo,  Citadel  of 

184 

Citadel  and  Tombs. 

199 

History  of 

184 

Houses  of 

185 

Latticed  Windows  in 

186 

Mosques  of 

198,  199 

Streets  of 

185 

Calaveras,  Grove  of  Big 
Trees,  California 

149 

California,  Big  Trees  of. . 148-150 

Thermal  Springs...  151 

Yosemite  Valley. . . 26 

Cambridge  University, Eng.  335 

Campanile,  or  Leaning 


Tower  of  Pisa. . . 77 

Canals  of  Yenice 123-126 

Canton,  China 253 

Cap  of  Liberty,  Mountain  27 
Capitol  at  Washington. . 110 

Washington 266 

Carpathian  Mountains. ...  96 

Castle,  Balmoral 193 

Braemar 176 

Castle  of  Chillon 229,  230 

Castle  Drummond 175,  176 

Castle,  Dumbarton,  Scot- 
land   192 

Castle,  Dunottar 175 

Edinburgh 170 

Castles,  Old  Scottish 174-176 

Old  European 227-230 

Castle  Runglstein ., 229 

Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  Rome  141 
Stirling 175 


PAGE 

Castle  of  Stolzenfels 310 

Warwick 227,  228 

Cataracts  of  Nile 187 

Cathedrals,  Famous  Euro- 
pean  40-45 

of  Europe 224-227 

Cathedral  in  Mexico 265 

Rock,  Yosemite....  146 

St.  Peter’s,  Rome. . . 202 

Catskills  Falls 217 

Caucasian  Races 257 

Causeway,  The  Giant’s. . . 107-109 

Caves  and  Gorges 205,  206 

Caves  of  Ice 80-87 

Caves  and  Caverns 392 

Cave,  Mammoth 300 

Cave,  The  Mammoth,  visit- 
ed  65-71 

Chamouni,  Hymn  in  Yalley 

of 87 

Yalley 305 

>-  87 

Charing  Cross,  London. . . 158 

Chartreuse  Convent 196,197 

Cheops,  Pyramid  of 112 

Chicago,  The  Destruction 

of 54-59 

Fire,  Poem  on 59 

History  of 62,  54 

and  Paris 168 

Chillon,  Prisoner  of,  Poem  230-235 
Chimborazo,  Magnificent 

views  of 140 

Yolcano  of. 130 

“ Chimneys  ” of  Giant’s 

Causeway 194 

China,  Described 252,  253 

Chinese  Scenes 253 

Pagedas 190 

Chorazin,  Site  of 72 

Christiania,  Norway 338 

Christian  Tourists,  A Poem  121,  122 

Churches,  British 306 

Church,  Cologne  Cathedral  41 

Churches,  Famous  Euro- 
pean  40-45 

224-227 

Church,  Glastonbury  Ab- 
bey, Ruins  of.  . . . 192 

of  Holy  Sepulchre, 

Jerusalem 844 

of  N otre  Dame,  after 

the  War 163 


INDEX. 


411 


PAGE. 

Churches  of  Pisa 77 

Russian 224,225 

CJ lurch  of  St.  John  in 

Samaria 72 

St.  Mark’s  of  Venice.  42-45 

Strasbourg 40-41 

Churches  and  Temples. . . . 328 

Cedars  of  Lebanon 73 

Central  Park,  New  York. . 208 

Cervin,  Mount  of  Alps. . . 98 

Citadel  of  Cairo 184,  185 

City  Hall,  Hew  York. . . . 207 

Climate  of  Egypt 186,  187 

Clock,  The  Strasbourg. . . 41 

Cloud’s  Rest,  Mountain. . . 28 

Colleen  Bawn,  Cave 206 

Colleges,  English 335 

Coliseum,  Ruins  of 142-4,  367 

History  and  form  of.  143 

Cologne,  Cathedral  of.  . . . 41 

Bridge  at 311 

Column  of  Place  Vendome 

destroyed 166-168 

Common,  The  Boston.  . . . 316 

Concorde,  Place  of 274 

— 163 

Conflagration,  The  Chicago  54-59 

Constantinople,  Mosque  of.  193 

Alluded  to 122 

182-184 

Convents 196-198 

Conway,  The  Saco  at. . . . 152 

Corner  Glacier * 276 

Corps  Legislat'd1,  Paris 161 

— After  the  war 163 

Cotopaxi,  Volcano  of 131 

Cots  wold  Hills 193 

Court  of  Lions,  Alhambra.  244 

Crater,  Adventure  in  a. . . 236 

Of  ^Etna 35 

Of  Pichincha 131 

Volcanic,  described.  123 

Crevasses  in  Glaciers. ...  82,  85 

Passage  of 99 

Perils  of  100 

Crystal  Palace,  London. . . 159 


I >. 

Dashoor,  Stone  Pyramids 

of 114 


PAGE. 

Dead  Sea  Scenery 119 

Deria  Dowlut,  India 223 

Desert,  Egyptain 115 

The  Great 396 

Scenery.  . . 119 

Of  Sinai 323 

Of  Sinai  and  Egypt  116,  117 

Devil’s  Canon,  Napa  Val- 
ley  ....i  151 

Devil’s  Slide 29 

Drummond  Castle 175-176 

Dry  Dock,  Brooklyn 209 

Dumbarton  Castle,  Scot- 
land   192 

Dunottar  Castle,  Scotland.  175 

Duomo  of  Pisa 77 

Durham  Cathedral,  Eng- 
land  , . 307 

E. 

Earthquake  described. .. . 126 

Ecuador,  S.  America 262 

Edinburgh  after  Floaden 

(Poem) 171 

Castle 170 

City 169 

Like  Athens 169 

Edom,  Mountains  of. . . . 120 

Egypt,  Apostrophe  to. . . . 115 

Cairo 184-186 

Climate 186, 187 

Described 186 

Rock  inscriptions. . 120 

and  the  Nile 186-188 

Obelisk  of  Luxor. . . 275 

Pyramids  and  Sphinx  112-114 

Ruins  in 284,  200 

Egyptians  described 187 

Egyptian  Mummy  (Poem) . 206 

El  Capitan,  Mountain.  ...  26 

Ellen’s  Isle,  Loch  Katrine.  295 

Elevator,  A Grain 389 

Eruption  of  ^Etna 35-40 

Volcanic 236-241 

Escurial  Palace . 244,  245 

Etoile,  Arch,  of  Paris. ...  273 

Eton  College 337 

European  Cathedrals....  224-227 

Mountains  94-99 

Exeter  Cathedral 307 

Ezion  Geber 117 

Eyes,  Use  of  Having  Two.  18, 19 


412 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

F» 


Faneuil  Hall,  Boston 315 

“ Father  of  the  Forest”  . . 150 

Feiran,  Yalley  of 117 

Fire,  The  Chicago 54-59 

Flodden,  Battle  of 176 

■ Edinburgh  after.  ...  17 1 

Florence,  City  of 75,  76 

Its  History 76 

Pitti,  Palace  in 76 

“ Flume,”  The 156,259 

Forests,  California 149 

Forum  of  Pompeii. ......  62 

Franconia  Notch 154 

G» 

Galilee,  Hills  of 118 

Sea  of 72 

Genesee  Falls 217 

Geneva  Lake,  Avalanche.  354 

— 309 

Geysers 400 

Giant’s  Causeway. ..  ,.i  07-1 09,  194 

Head 194 

Gibraltar,  Spain 2^7,248 

95 

Gihon,  Pool  of 342 

Gilboa,  Tract  of 118 

Glaciers,  Alpine 276,  97 

— — Asian 347 

Caves  of ...  84 

Crossing 100,  101 

— de  la  Cote 99 

Described 80-87 

— — Movement  of 82,83 

Use  of 86 

Gladiator,  The  (Poem). ..  . 268 

Glasgow  Cathedral 306 

Glastonbury  Abbey  .....  192 

Glencoe,  Yalley  and  Pass  294 

Great  Stone  Face,  White 

Mountains 154 

Gorge,  Adventure  in 368 

Gorges,  described 258 

and  Caves 205,206 

andYalleys 278-280 

Flume,  White  M'ts..  156 

Granada  Convent 197 

Greece,  Ancient 89 

Modern 90 


PAGE. 

Greece,  Mountains  of . . . . 96 

Poem  to 92 

Greenwich  Hospital 159 

Grindewald  Glacier 87,277 

“ Grizzled  Giant  ” Cal, ...  150 

H. 

Half  Dome,  Mountain  , . . 27 

Hall  of  Justice,  Alhambra  244 

Harem  Ruins,  India 282 

llassan’s  Mosque,  Cairo  . 184 

Helvellyn  Mountain 195 

Her  non,  Mount  118,  325 

Hezekiah,  Pool  of  ....... . 343 

Himalaya  Mountains 347 

Hindoo  Pagodas 189 

Temples 222,  223,  329 

— — Ruins 282 

Hot  Springs,  cause  of  ... . 126 

Hinnom  Yalley 343 

Hudson  River 313 

Hugi’s  Adventure 84 

Humboldt  on  Chimborazo.  135 

I. 

Ice  Caves 88 

- — Fields 80-87 

— — Rivers 83 

Ireland,  Lakes  of ....... . 191 

India,  Yolcanoes 131 

— — Ruins  282 

Temples 144,  222 

Ancient  Temples .. . 189 

Indians 257,  317 

Isis,  Temple  of. 200 

Italy,  Alps  of 106 

J. 

Jacob’s  Well,  Palestine. . . 71 

James’  River,  Ya 314 

Japan,  Customs  of 254 

Discovery  of 78 

Empire  of 78-80 

Japanese 254 

Houses 255 

Seclusion  of 79 

Java,  People  and  Country  189 

Yolcanoes  of 127 

Jehosaphat,  Yalley  of . . . . 841 


INDEX.  413 


PAGE. 

Jerusalem,...-... 219,220 

Mosque  of  Aksa.  ...  198 

Mosque  of  Omar.  . . . 829 

Scenes  around 341 

Judea,  Mountains  of 119 

Jungfrau,  Mount 98,  107 

Avalanches  of 351 

Jura,  Mount 50 

K. 

Kaloogoomulla,  India, 

Rock  temple  at. . 222 

Kander,  Cataract 305 

Karnak  Temple 285 

Kensington  Palace,  London  158 

Killarney  Lakes,  Ireland..  191 

Knight’s  Hall,  Berlin 242 

Kremlin  Palace 299 

JU 

Lafayette,  Mount. .......  154 

Lake  and  River 30  1 

Lakes  of  Killarney 191 

and  Ponds 406 

ofYosemite 28 

Scottish 295,  192 

Lakkara,  Pyramids 114 

Landfalls  and  Avalanches  349 

Landscape  Beauty 371 

Land’s  End,  England 193 

Lateran,  Church 80 

Lauter  br  unner  V alley ....  106 

Avalanches 350 

Lava  and  Volcano 127,  128 

Etna 35-40 

Leaning  Tower  of  Pisa... . 77 

Lebanon,  Cedars  of 73 

Mountains  of. 345,  120 

Legislative  Hall,  Paris. . . 162 

Leman  Lake  ...  50 

Library  of  Vatican 31 

Light-House  Rock 151 

Loch  Katrine 295 

Logan  Stones 194 

London,  Crystal  Palace. . . 159 

Sights  and  Scenes.  . 157-159 

St.  Paul’s  Cathedral  226 

Tower 159 

Westminster  Abbey  227 

Lookout  Mountain,  water 

falls  at,  ......  218, 

18* 


PAGE. 

Louvre,  Library 165 

Palace,  after  the  War  164 

Lulu  Lake 259 

Luxor  Obelisk,  Paris 274 

Bl. 

Macao,  China 253 

Madeleine,  Paris  from  ....  163 

Madrid,  Palace  in.  ......  245 

Madura,  Palace,  India  . . . 223 

Mala,  Via,  Gorge 280,  205 

Malvern  Mills,  England..  193 

Mameluke  Tombs,  Cairo. . 199 

Mammoth  Cave 65-71,  300 

Maracaibo,  Venezuela. . . . 263 

Maraposa,  Grove 149 

Mars’  Hill,  Athens. 91 

Matterhorn  Mount 98 

Melrose  Abbey 308 

Merced  River 148 

Mer  de  La  Glace 276 

Mexico  City 265 

Scenes  in 263 

Volcanoes  in 130 

Milan,  Cathedral  of 225,  226 

Mines  Mexican  264 

Minneapolis  City 319 

Mirror  Lake 28 

Monasteries 196-198 

Monument,  Nelson’s 158 

Moon — Ode  to  356 

Described 375-382 

Reflected  light 377 

No  atmosphere 378 

Mountains 380-382 

Moraines,  of  Glaciers ....  86 

Mormons,  Salt  Lake  City  151 

Temple  of 328 

Moscow  121 

Bell 299 

Palaces  of. 299 

Mosque ...  198,199 

of  Cairo 185 

of  Omar  329 

of  St.  Sophia. 183 

of  Soleyman 183 

of  Sultan  Hassan. . . 184,  185 

Mountain,  .Etna  described  35-40 

Ascent,  Perils  of  ..  100,291 

Blanc,  Ascents  of  . . 


Blanc,  Avalanches. . 349,  350 


INDEX. 


414 


PAGE. 

Mountains,  Ben  Nevis ....  95 

Carmel 197 

Chimborazo,  Ascents  135-140 

and  Gorge 258-260 

and  Talley. 105-107 

Helvellyn . 195 

— — Lebanon 73 

■  Lookout 259 

of  Oiives 342,344 

— — Old  Man  of 155 

Rosa  . . 97 

— — - Serbal  of  Sinai .... . 116 

■  Snowdon 95 

Sensations  on 

100-103,  137-139 

290 

Glaciers  of. 80-87 

of  Asia 345 

— — of  Europe 94-99 

— - ofPalestine,  118-121,  218-220 

of  Scotland 293 

White 154-157 

Yo  Semite 26-29 

Volcanic. 126-130 

Moutiers,  Gorge  of 206 

Mummy,  Poem  on 286 

Museum,  Berlin 242 


NT. 


Napa  Talley,  Hot  Springs 

in  151 

Napoleon,  Column  of  Place 

Vendome 166 

Natural  Bridges 259,  358,  258 

Nazareth. 118,219 

Nelson’s  Monument. ...  * . 158 

Nevada  Falls ...........  148 

New  Grenada,  S.  America,  262 
New  Orleans,  City  of.. . . . 330 

New  Palace,  Potsdam. ...  243 

New  York  City 207-209 

Niagara  Falls 209—215 

Nile,  River  of. 186,  188,  190 

First  Cataract. . 120 

North  Dome,  Mountain.. . 27 

Northwest,  The.  ...**••.  319 

Norway,  Mountains  of. . • . 96 

Notch,  The  Franconia. . . . 154 

Notre  Dame  Cathedral. . . 42, 163 

Nubia,  Ruins  in 118 


PAGE. 

O. 

“ Old  Man  of  the  Moun- 
tain”  154-157 

Omar,  Mosque . . 329 

—  — -Cairo 199 

Jerusalem  ....  199 

Oxford  University 335 

P. 

Pacific  Ocean, Circle  of  Fire,  127, 128 

Pagodas  of  J ava 189 

Palace,  Alhambra 243,  244 

Berlin,  New 243 

—  — Royal 242 

— — - Cairo 184 

Constantinople 184 

Corps  Legislatif, 

Paris,  161 

Edinburgh 170 

Escurial 244 

London. 158 

— — Louvre 114 

- — - Madrid,  Royal. ....  245 

— - Madeira 223 

Pitti,  Florence 76 

Prussian 241 

Paris,  Palais  Royal.  166 

— — Russian  Palaces  ....  298 

— — Spanish  Palaces. . . . 243-245 

Tuileries 164 

Venice 124,125 

Palestine 218-220 

— Heights  of 118-121 

Poem  on. 74 

— — Scenes  in 71 

and  Sinai 323 

Palisades  of  Hudson 313 

Palms,  Feiran  Talley.. . . 117 

Paris,  after  the  War 162 

and  Chicago,  Poem.  168 

— — Monuments 273 

Streets  of.  160 

Parks  in  N e w Y ork 208 

Parthenon  of  Athens 91,  366 

Patent  Office  at  Washing- 
ton  111,267 

Petrowski  Palace,  St.  Pe- 
tersburg   300 

Pfeifers,  Gorge  de 279 

Pliike,  rocks  of. 120 

Ruins  at 188,  200,  201 

Temple  of  Isis,  at. . . 200 


INDEX.  415 


PAGE. 

Photography,  applications 

and  uses  of 22,  28 

Description  of  pro- 
cess   22 

History  of 21 

Stereoscopic 24 

Pichincha,  Volcanoes  of. . 131 

Pillar,  Trajan’s 142 

Pisa,  Beauty  of. 77 

Pitti  Palace  in  Florence. . 7 6 

Pompeii,  Destruction  of. . 833,  236 

Poem 132-134 

Described 61 

Present  appearance 

of 134 

Poem  describing  de- 
struction of 63,  64 

Pompey’s  Pillar 285 

Pont  N euf,  Bridge  in  Paris  161 

‘‘Pool,”  White  Mountains  260 

Post-Office  at  Washington  111 

General,  Washington  268 

Potzdam,  Palaces 242 

Prairies,  Poem  on 260-261 

Presidential  Mansion, 

Washington 265 

Prisoner  of  Chillon 230-235 

Profile,  “Old  Man  of  the 

Mountain” 155 

Propylsea  of  Athens 90 

Pyramids,  description  of 

112,  113,  362 

Seen  from  Cairo. ...  185 

Interior  of. 112,113 

Poem  on  Mummy .. . 286 

Poem  on..... 114-116 

Pyrenees  Mountains. ....  95 

Q. 

Quito  and  neighborhood. . 145 

Scenes  at 288 

Volcanoes  near 131 

11. 

Races,  Sketches  of. 256,  257 

Ravines..... 279 

Redwood  Trees  of  Califor- 
nia  148 

Rhine,  River  310 

at  Via  Mala 205 

Apostrophe  to. . . « . , 49 


PAGE. 

Rhine  Valley  from  Alps. . 98 

Rhone  Glacier.  .........  277 

Rio  Negro,  New  Grenada  263 

Rivoli,  Rue  de,  Paris. ....  160 

Rocky  Mountains,  vol- 
canic peaks 130 

Rome,  ancient  and  modern  29 

— — location  and  descrip- 
tion  30 

— — Poem  on. .........  . 203,  204 

alluded  to 122 

Scenes  in 141-144 

St.  Peter’s  Church  at.  202 

poetic  apostrophe  to  34 

The  Lateran  and  The 

Vatican 29-32 

Rosa,  Monte,  of  Alps 97,  98 

Rossgg  Glacier 277 

Rosenlaeir  Glacier 277 

Rotunda  of  Capitol,  Wash- 
ington  266 

Royal  Academy  of  Edin- 
burgh  169 

Ruins,  ancient  Religious. . 188-190 

in  Egypt. 284 

in  India 282 

of  Pompeii 61 

Runglstein  Castle 229 

Ruskin’s  Description  of 

St.  Mark’s  church  42-45 

Russian  Churches 224 

Palaces, 298 

8, 

Sabooa,  in  Nubia. . 118 

Saco  River 152,  155,  156 

Sacramento  Convent 197 

Sahara,  Gt.  Desert  of. . . . 396 

St.  Anthony,  Falls  of . . . . 319 

St.  Bernard,  Pass  of. 106 

St.  Gall,  Convent  of.  .. ... . 196 

St.  James,  Palace  of. ... . 158 

St.  Mark’s  Catheral,  Venice  42-45 

— - Palace 124 

St.  Paul’s  Cathedral 202,  226 

St.  Peter’s  Church,  Rome.  202 

St.  Petersburg,  Churches 

of. 224 

Palaces  of 298 

St.  Sophia,  Mosque 183 

Salt  Lake  City 151 

Samaria,  City  of. 71 


416  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Samaria,  Mountains  of . . . . 118 

San  Francisco,  Square, 

Quito 288 

Sanguay  Yolcano 181 

Sarnthal  Yalley , 107 

Scenery,  British 191 

near  Quito 135 

Yale  and  Mount.  . . . 105-107 

White  Mountain...  , 154 

Sculptor  Boy  (Poem) 272 

Scotland,  Castles  of 174-176 

Lakes  of 192 

Mountains  of 293,95 

Sentinel  Rock 28 

Sepulchre,  Church  of,  Je- 
rusalem  344 

Serbal,  of  Sinai 116,  121 

Seraglio,  Constantinople. . 183 

Shechem,  City  of 119 

Sheds,  Snow,  R.R 151 

Silver  Cascade,  White 

Mountains 156 

Sierra  Nevada 130 

Silvio  Mountain,  Alps. ...  98 

Simplon  Gorge 279 

Sinai,  Mountains  of 118 

and  Palestine 323 

Peninsula 116-118 

Inscriptions 120 

Sioot,  of  Egypt 285 

Smithsonian  Institute. ...  267 

Snowdon,  Mount 95 

Soleyman,  Mosque  of 183 

Soldier  of  Bingen,  (Poem,)  311 
South  American  Scenery.  262 

Spain,  Palaces  of 243-245 

Mountains  of.** 295 

Sphinx 113,118 

Springs,  Hot 400 

Statues 161,  225,  142 

and  Statue  making. . 269-272 

Staubbach  Fall 106,  304 

Stereoscope,  Meaning  of 

word 17 

History  of 19-21 

Principles  of 18 

and  Photograph. ...  24 

Advantages  in 

Schools 10 

Stewart’s  Store,  N.Y 207 

Stirling  Castle 175 

Stockholm  City 338 

Stolzenfels  Castle 310 


PAGE* 

Stonehenge  Ruins 189 

Strasbourg  Cathedral 40,41 

Sultan’s  Palace 184 

Sycopolis,  Egypt 188 

Syene,  Egypt,  Cataract  at  187 

Synagogues 828 

T. 

Tabor,  Mount 118 

Tarputry,  Temple  at 283 

Teh,  Mountains  of 119 

Temples  and  Churches  . . . 828 

of  India 222,  223,  282 

of  Java 189 

at  Philse 188 

Thames  River  Scenery. . . 193 

Thebes  Ruins 284 

Three  Brothers,  Moun- 
tain  28 

Thunderstorm 51 

Tombs,  Prison,  N.  Y 207 

Tower  of  London 159 

Leaning,  of  Pisa. . . 77 

Trafalgar  Square,  London  158 

Trajan’s  Pillar,  Rome. ...  142 

Treasury  at  Washington..  Ill 

Trees,  Big,  of  California. . 148-150 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge  336 

Triomphe,  Arc  de,  of  Paris  273 

Tuileries  Palace,  Paris.160,  163,  164 

Tungurago,  Yolcano  of. . . 135 

IT. 

Union  Pac.  R.R.,  Scenes  on  150-152 

Upas  Yalley,  Java 130 

Utah,  Salt  Lake  City 151 

V. 

Yalley  and  Gorge 278-280 

and  Passes 403 

and  Mountain 105-107 

of  the  Cave,  Sinai. . 324 

of  Avoca 192 

of  Chamouni 805 

of  Feiran 117 

Sarnthal 107 

of  Jehosaphat 841 

Napa,  Springs  of . . . 151 

Yo  Semite  ......  26,  146-148 

Yatican  Palace,  Rome. . . . 30-32 


INDEX, 


417 


PAGE. 

Vendome  Column  Des- 
troyed  166-168 

Tlace 163 

Pillar 273 

Venice 33,  123-126,  42-45 

Vesuvius 235,  132,  238 

destroys  Pompeii. 61,  132-134 

Vernal  Fall 147 

Via  Mala,  Gorge 205,  280 

Vijianugger,  Ruins  of.  . . . 282 

Ville,  Hotel  de 165 

Volcano,  Adventures  on. . 235-241 

Form  of 127 

Described 126 

Ascent  of 135-140 

Eruptions  of 

35-40,  132-134,  333 

Classes  of 127 

General  Description 

of  126-132 

Volkonda Temple,  India. . 283 

We 

Wody  El  Ain,  Sinai 324 

Warwick  Castle 227,  228 

Washington  City  109,  111,  265-268 


PAGE. 

Waterfalls,  American....  216-218 

European 304 

Niagara  209-215 

Yo  Semite 146-148 

West  Point . . 314 

Westminster  Abbey 227 

Bridge 158 

Palace 158 

Wetterhorn,  Mount 98 

Wharves  ofN".  Y 208 

White  House,  Washington  110,  265 
White  Mountains  152,  154-156,  259 
Wildkerchlein,  Chapel. . ..  107 

Winter  Palace,  St.  Peters- 
burg  298 

Written  Valley,  Sinai. ...  324 

To 

Yo  Semite  Fall 147 

Waterfalls  of 146-148 

Valley 26-29 

Z. 

Zacatecas,  Silver  Mines  of  264 


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